A supporter of reproductive rights holds a sign outside the Texas State Capitol building during the nationwide Women's March, held after Texas rolled out a near-total ban on abortion procedures and access to abortion-inducing medications, in Austin, Texas, U.S. October 2, 2021. Picture taken October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Clinics Resume Services After Judge Blocks Texas Abortion Ban

Some abortion services in Texas have resumed after a federal judge blocked the state’s six-week abortion ban.

One of the clinics that performed the procedures, Whole Woman’s Health, claimed that they were able to provide them to people who had already complied with Texas’ 24-hour waiting period.

The clinic said it had reached out to those on the waiting list and would give them every single abortion it could.

“We’ve reached out to people on the waiting list we had to turn away in September. In this climate, every single abortion we can provide is a win,” the clinic said.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman blocked the state’s law that bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, normally within six weeks of pregnancy. Apart from the ban, the law also empowered private citizens to file lawsuits against clinics and individuals that “aid or abet” in abortions.

The order was in part a response to a request from the Biden administration, which called on the suspension of the implementation of the law. Pitman also explained that the implementation of the law would be an “unprecedented and aggressive scheme” that would deprive residents of their constitutional rights.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday also appealed a federal court’s order that lifted a ban on new abortion clinics. Some providers are worried that the Texas law could allow people to sue them retroactively

 “There’s definitely still fear of lawsuits, so we’re sticking to the six-week thing,” another clinic said.

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