Texas’s six-week abortion ban has been one of the most controversial laws passed in years because in addition to severely diminishing countless women’s control over their own bodies, Senate Bill 8 directly undercuts the long-held precedent of the landmark Roe v. Wade court case in the 1970s. While performing at ACL Music Festival last weekend, Billie Eilish publicly criticized the state’s strict abortion ban, and over the past week, protests about the “Heartbeat Bill” have been taking place all over the country.
Now, advocates for women’s rights can let out a collective sigh of relief, even if temporarily, because a federal judge has successfully suspended Texas’ ability to enforce SB8.
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According to Complex, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman has blocked the state’s controversial six-week abortion ban by issuing a temporary restraining order, and while it is yet to be seen how long Pitman’s restraining order with subdue Texas, his decision effectively puts the controversial law in limbo for the time being.
“This Court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right,” Pitman declared in a ruling on Wednesday.
Judge Pitman’s ruling is just the latest major development in the ongoing reproductive rights struggle in Texas, and it offers a different federal approach to Texas’ aggressive abortion ban than the Supreme Court, who ultimately decided to allow the law to go into effect despite the Department of Justice saying that the controversial new law violated the U.S. Constitution.
Keep it locked to HNHH for more updates.
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