Lauren Moye, FISM NEWS
The Texas law protecting the lives of the unborn is intact once again following a temporary ruling from a U.S. appeals court. The late Friday ruling reinstated S.B.8, better known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, at least for the time being.
The legislation putting heavy restrictions on abortions has been the law since it first came into effect on Sept. 1, with the exception of two days last week. On Wednesday, a federal judge issued an order to block the law, but the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned this order on Oct. 9.
The law is the most restrictive law against infanticide currently in America. FISM previously reported, “The Texas law bans abortions once a heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. The bill does make an exception for medical emergencies.”
Because of this, S.B.8 has received many legal challenges since it was originally signed into law on May 19. This includes a lawsuit filed on Sept. 9 by the U.S. Justice Department under the direction of Attorney General Merrick Garland, which temporarily suspended the pro-life law.
This case was heard by US District Attorney Judge Robert Pittman, who was appointed by former President Barrack Obama, who filed an injunction against the Heartbeat Act. In the order, Pittman claimed abortion as a right protected by the Constitution and said that “this Court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right.”
Nearly immediately after Pittman’s ruling, the Texas Attorney General’s office filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit. Three judges temporarily overturned Pittman’s orders on Friday, but there is a chance that the law will once again be shut down. The Justice Department has until Tuesday to respond.
S.B. 8 has been the source of other court challenges in addition to the Justice Department’s lawsuit. Recently, two lawyers sued Dr. Alan Braid after he announced performing an illegal abortion. Last Monday, the Texas Supreme Court also denied further hearings in Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against the bill.