After a split Supreme Court allowed a Texas law prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy to stay in force in a late-night ruling Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats have vowed to take action to safeguard a woman’s right to an abortion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised on Thursday that when the House returns from its break later this month, it would take up legislation that enshrines the right to abortion in federal law and prevents medically unjustified limitations on abortion services and facilities.
“This ban necessitates codifying Roe v. Wade. [The court order] is cowardly, dark-of-night decision to uphold a flagrantly unconstitutional assault on women’s rights,” Pelosi said.
The Supreme Court turned down a plea by a group of abortion providers to overturn Texas’s most stringent abortion law in a 5-4 ruling shortly before Wednesday midnight.
The bill not only prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy – when many women are unaware they are pregnant – but it also allows private individuals, rather than state officials, to bring civil cases in state courts against suspected offenders.
Doctors and employees, as well as anybody who assists a woman in obtaining an abortion, such as transporting her to a clinic for the operation, might be sued. The plaintiff is entitled to at least $10,000 from the violation if the action is successful.
Biden announced that his Gender Policy Council and the White House Counsel’s Office will launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice to see what steps the federal government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as well as protect women in Texas.
The Justice Department said it is considering all measures to safeguard women’s constitutional rights, including access to abortion. While the statute is still in force, it’s unclear what the Biden administration can do to safeguard abortion access in Texas.
