Texas Abortion Restrictions

The justices allowed the challenge against the law to proceed but mangled abortion providers' legal strategy and set the table for another elongated court fight. Meanwhile, abortion access in the state remains severely restricted. Full Story 

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who wrote the law, was dismissive of Newsom’s effort to restrict gun rights by using Texas’ legal strategy to ban many abortions. He said he didn’t think his enforcement mechanism would be “effective against firmly established constitutional rights.” Full Story 

Mark Lee Dickson helped Texas towns ban abortion. On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to block a state law modeled on his ordinance. “We can go anywhere now,” he said. Full Story 

Texas, the birthplace of Roe v. Wade, has been at the forefront of major battles over abortion access ever since. Friday’s ruling ensures the state remains on the frontlines. Full Story 

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the majority was straying from the court’s precedent to step in when state laws chill the exercise of constitutional rights while allowing other states to follow suit. Full Story 

Even though a legal fight continues, providers warn that abortion clinics could eventually have to shut down since enforcement of the law can continue. Full Story 

The court allowed the suit to continue on an 8-1 decision. Abortion providers will resume seeking to block the law as it progresses through lower court proceedings. Full Story 

The fate of the statute remains uncertain. An appeal to the ruling is already underway, and an opinion on the law from the U.S. Supreme Court is still pending. Full Story 

But some Texas nonprofit groups dedicated to paying for the medical costs of abortion say they have more money than patients to give it to — a likely symptom of fewer people being able to access the procedure because of the new law. Full Story 

Unsure of how broadly the “aiding and abetting” portion of the law could be applied, Sueños Sin Fronteras — which helps women with an array of basic needs — is launching a legal defense fund. Full Story 

A gun rights group filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in opposition to Texas’ abortion law, fearful that similar statutes could be crafted in other states to target gun ownership. Full Story 

Appointment wait times at out-of-state clinics since the law’s implementation were longer than those in July 2020, according to the study. Full Story 

The proceedings on Monday revealed how attorneys representing abortion providers, Texas and the federal government are defending their cases and opened a window into how the justices might rule. Full Story 

Anti-abortion groups and reproductive rights activists faced off outside the U.S. Supreme Court as it heard Texas' abortion case. Full Story 

Six justices — including two who voted against blocking Senate Bill 8 when it first went into effect — voiced concern that other states could replicate the controversial law’s enforcement mechanism. Full Story 

Since 2000, Texas lawmakers have reduced the number of abortions in the state by restricting access to the procedure. Full Story 

In South Texas, poverty and immigration status compound the obstacles facing pregnant people seeking abortions. Full Story 

The high court’s proceedings will focus on how Senate Bill 8 is enforced. It’s hard to predict what the court could decide, but its ruling will likely determine the future of abortion care in Texas and shape the legal battles to come. Full Story 

Genetic screenings can help determine if a fetus will have certain conditions — or even be viable. But those usually occur at the end of the first trimester, long after Texas' new abortion law bans people from terminating their pregnancies. Full Story 

The high court agreed to hear the arguments quickly but declined to immediately block enforcement of the new law. Full Story