Texas’ controversial abortion-limiting bill, the Heartbeat Act (S.B. 8), sparked protests nationally. Now, anti-abortion activists are holding rallies of their own. Abortion arguments continue among lawmakers as well as Dallas Fort-Worth residents.
On Thursday, October 7, 2021, several protesters gathered outside of abortion clinics in and around Dallas Fort-Worth to protest a judge’s ruling halting the controversial bill, S.B. 8. These protests follow closely on the heels of pro-abortion protestors who had their women’s march on Saturday, October 2, 2021, protesting the legislation.
S.B. 8 bans abortions after a heartbeat is detected, occurring at around six weeks for most pregnancies. The new law sparked many protests nationally and was the central talking point for the Women’s March in several Texas cities on October 2. The law also provides additional anti-abortion restrictions by allowing private citizens to file lawsuits against abortion providers.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman issued a ruling on October 6, which temporarily blocked the Heartbeat Act.
The ruling was quickly praised by the Biden Administration when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki released a statement Wednesday evening saying, “Tonight’s ruling is an important step forward toward restoring the constitutional rights of women across the state of Texas.”
Pro-abortion activists celebrated the temporary win. Some practitioners took advantage of the temporary block and announced they would again perform abortions on pregnancies up to 18 weeks.
Others were more hesitant, wary of the potential of private citizens filing lawsuits if they perform abortions and the law ends up making it past the temporary block by Juge Pitman.
On the other hand, many anti-abortion activists are already looking to ensure the bill pushes through this temporary block. The Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fought back quickly for the anti-abortion lobby by filing an appeal against Judge Pitman less than 24-hours after the ruling.
Lawmakers are “are seeking an emergency stay of Pitman’s order in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is known as perhaps the nation’s most conservative appellate court,” according to Life News.
Paxton took to Twitter Thursday morning, October 7, 2021, “We disagree with the Court’s decision and have already taken steps to immediately appeal it to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.”
By Friday, October 8, 2021, fortunes in the abortion argument shifted again when the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision by Judge Pitman to block S.B. 8. The Justice Department has until Tuesday evening to respond to the appeal, and the restrictions introduced by the law will be enforceable at least until then.
Conservative activist and independent journalist Vianca Rodriguez told the Dallas Express that the anti-abortion agenda lawmakers expected this fight: “The bill, S.B. 8, is definitely the first of its kind. The point since the get-go for this legislation was to prevent it from being immediately challenged or struck down by the Courts. The bill had to be constructed in an unconventional/creative manner. Otherwise, they would have been automatically struck down due to complicated Roe v Wade existing precedents.”
More news in the abortion argument is sure to break when Roe V. Wade is reviewed in November.
When that happens, “we may witness historic new legal precedents taking place, including reviewing when abortions should be permissible, and when they are simply and scientifically unjustifiable. Seeing how many state lawmakers from other states attempted to pass similar legislation, the trend is only growing from here on out,” Rodriguez told Dallas Express.
Both anti-abortion and pro-abortion activists seem to be encouraged by their respective representatives’ steps in the seemingly endless abortion arguments. However, as quickly as a ruling can be made to block anti-abortion legislation, anti-abortion lawmakers are appealing those decisions.
Both sides seem to agree that the arguments won’t end any time soon, with Psaki representing the pro-abortion side by saying, “The fight has only just begun, both in Texas and in many states across this country where women’s rights are currently under attack.”
On the other hand, Paxton asserts that “The sanctity of human life is, and will always be, a top priority for me.”
