Supreme Court allows Texas' 6-week abortion ban to take effect

[Polybius]

Source: Politico

The Supreme Court early Wednesday let a Texas state law take effect that allows private citizens to sue to uphold a ban on the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.

The court’s decision to not act on an emergency petition from Texas abortion clinics comes as the justices prepare to more broadly reconsider the right to an abortion it established almost 50 years ago. In May, justices agreed to review Mississippi’s ban on the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy — a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Those arguments are expected later this year, with a ruling in 2022.

Beyond outlawing abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, the Texas law, signed in May, would deputize citizens to file civil suits against abortion providers or anyone who helps facilitate the procedure after six weeks, such as a person who drives a pregnant person to the clinic. Individuals found to have violated the law would have to pay $10,000 to the person who successfully brings such a suit — a bounty abortion rights advocates warn will encourage harassment, intimidation and vigilantism.

The citizen enforcement scheme also made the law more difficult to challenge in court, and the Supreme Court's decision to side, for now, against the clinics is likely to encourage copycat bills in other states.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/01/supreme-court-texas-abortion-ban-508275

[Lovie777]

1. That abortion ban is horrible . ..

and it proves that the 6 effed up republican judges are seriously wacked.

[RandySF]

2. Roe v Wade is done.

[vercetti2021]

3. Texas sucks

Sorry but after living here for all my life. I'm ready to leave. What's next? Transgender rights provoked? Transition therapy banned? They got women this time. But what's stopping them from getting us next?

[Comfortably_Numb]

11. Wanna caravan? I wake up early every morning so I can get started hating this backward,

redneck hell hole of a state. Retirement within this year then I’m out. I’d like to live out my last years in a blue state, where the governor doesn’t pride himself on denying women autonomy over their own bodies, letting Texans freeze to death, denying its citizens reliable electricity, and cater to the Neanderthal mouth breathing right wing.

[vercetti2021]

12. Yeah count me in

I'm only 31, I could see myself in a blue state for the rest of my days.

[Comfortably_Numb]

13. Keep the dream vercetti.... I wish I could say it's going to get better but I respect you too much

to lie. These repubs are crushing voting rights and setting the table to run this state in perpetuity.

[vercetti2021]

14. Yep that's what they are doing

What's to stop them from stripping rights from LGBTQ people? To halt all transition therapy in the state? They do that, I will have to leave. I will have zero choice.

[Comfortably_Numb]

15. My nephew is transitioning. I fear for him living in this pseudo-religious hate state.

[vercetti2021]

16. Yeah

Unless he lives within cities like Austin or Dallas. I live in backward ass Amarillo.

[Comfortably_Numb]

17. He doesn't... he's in San Antonio. Not the worst, I guess, but definitely no safe haven.

The panhandle is a disturbingly thumper hell and hostile place, but you don’t need me to tell you that. I fear that folks who live in civilized places can’t imagine this redneck hell.

[vercetti2021]

18. Yeah we've had our run in's with these MAGAt's

My mom almost got ran off the road a few weeks ago because she had a sticker on her car that said. Trump lied, 600,000 people died. Old beat up POS truck tried to kill her. She's had a lot more bad interactions than I have. Due to the fact she's a woman. I've had run in's for sure, but that was before my transition started. I looked fucking scary with a beard and whatnot. Now? Well everything is drastically changing, I won't look so imitating.

[Random Boomer]

29. Born and raised in Texas

My father's family settled in Texas in the middle 1800s, but I got out as soon as I graduated from college (back in the 1970s). Even living in Austin wasn't enough incentive to stay.

Ironically, I now live in West Virginia. It's a sign of the depressing devolution of Texas that I'm still better off here than there.

[hamsterjill]

24. Sixth generation Texan and ready to leave.

I’m about four years from retirement and I hope that I don’t have to live here then. Fed up and tired. Not to mention embarrassed by the stupidity.

[vercetti2021]

27. Yeah I'm a third gen Texan

I'm ready to toss my Texan card in the fire and leave ASAP before they revoke LGBT rights and ban transition therapy for adults. Texas man is just as bad as fucking Florida man. Too big red states with the amount of dumbassry in it

[Murphyb849]

4. The right to life in Texas opened a whistleblower website so I hope every

Decent human being in Texas is reporting their husband son and family dog for having an AB. And wait and see the droves of women to vote these people out. This was a deal breaker.

[IcyPeas]

9. I'm glad to report that that website is being flooded with false tips and Shrek porn

And furry porn and various other NSFW tips.

https://www.dazeddigital.com/science-tech/article/53932/1/this-anti-abortion-whistleblowing-site-is-being-flooded-with-shrek-porn-texas

[dalton99a]

25. +1. Report all violators

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[hamsterjill]

26. Is it retroactive?

Hey, I know a bunch of “good little girls” from the sixties who went to visit their aunties for a summer. Most of them are now Trumpers pushing this shit.

[Random Boomer]

30. Bingo!

This is the best way to get that law taken down -- call them out on their hypocrisy.

[BigmanPigman]

5. If the SFOTUS ever gets this the GQP

can kiss winning in 2024 Good-bye.

[NurseJackie]

19. WDTEM? INASGTM!

What does that even mean? It's nonsensical alphabet-soup gibberish to me.

[George II]

23. IKR? WTAF, I'm SMDH!

[BigmanPigman]

39. I misspelled SCOTUS

and put an F where a C should have been. SCOTUS means the Supreme Court Of The United States.

GQP is the current version of GOP since Q-Anon has becomes their crazy "theorist".

I have seen both abbreviations on DU for a long time and thought others were familiar with them.

[djacq]

6. Each six of those conservative justices lied

Roe v. Wade does have standing as long as it gets them across the confirmation finish line...

Afterwards,

They'll slowly chip away the law until there's nothing left.

[in2herbs]

32. Whether the USSC approved the TX law via shadow docket is proof that Biden must make

significant changes to the judicial system, and I don't mean just appointing more federal judges. Any law this deprives one of their constitutional rights, whether it be for one second or forever, is an unconstitutional law. Don't patronize me by saying that the court didn't rule, they did by their silence.

[Dan]

36. I am willing to bet, that people are going to die.

Reporting someone falsely or whatever - resulting in fines to the tune of $10,000 is going to push some people over the edge.

Force some places out of business (rightly or wrongly).

Texas is inviting an internal Civil War.

Just because their government can’t get it up - he is punishing women for his failure to perform.

[twin_ghost]

8. People that believe in free choice must set up a fund to fly women to NY or CA.

They can't ban interstate commerce.

[IcyPeas]

10. The ACLU are on it. Here is their statement:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215806877

[Bayard]

20. Six weeks

That's not even 2 menstrual cycles. I don't know anyone who knew they were pregnant that soon.

I predict tons of backroom and self abortions again. Medieval.

[bucolic_frolic]

21. Snitches and financial warfare fully enabled

This is an anti-freedom bill, a crime against civilized society that will pit neighbors against neighbors. Snooping is now a legalized and financially rewarding profession that can be hacked from the hide of "sinners".

[turbinetree]

22. Think it time to remove the shadow docket Bullshit from this right wing Federalist Society majority

court being run by non other John Roberts, the same John Roberts that helped gut voting rights.....you think it is time to expand the US Supreme Court......next up on the right wing federalist society agenda, Medicare and Social Security....it is coming.....

[LiberatedUSA]

28. The GOP is cheering now.

Wait until Blue States open up $10,000 lawsuits on gun owners.

[in2herbs]

31. If someone reported me under this TX law I would counter sue their ass until they lost all of their

possessions and their job.

Just a question re the law: the court has never ruled on whether or not vasectomies are considered abortions. Should any guy getting a vasectomy be reported under this law and force the USSC to rule on this in conjunction with their R vs W decisions?

I know there are people on this site that are telling us to calm down, that all lthe USSC did was not rule on the issue. IMO they are ignoring the fact that by not outlawing the law, for however long it chooses, the USSC is approving the law. Women's lives are affected in both instances so stop trying to clarify their inaction to justify the inaction.

Biden better get his staff to working faster on making changes to the USSC or democracy is doomed.

[Grins]

33. It didn't say but...a 6-3 decision?

I’d make that bet.

[FBaggins]

35. No vote at all at this point

The court didn't issue a denial of the emergency motion (which might have included a list of those who dissented)... it was just silent.

Technically - this leaves open the possibility of a "shadow docket" answer in the coming days. Perhaps there's a denial coming, but one of the dissenting justices is still writing a scathing dissent (the response to the emergency appeal was filed just a day or so ago). Or perhaps they intend to approve the emergency request but need a couple of days to write up the decision (there would almost have to be an explanation given that context).

[erronis]

34. Let's make it a ban on emitting sperm without fertilizing an egg.

Every male can be sued if his zygote doesn't produce an embryo with a detectable heart beat.

Perhaps Abbott no longer has cajones but a lot of texans swear by theirs.

[bluestarone]

37. I read an answer earlier HERE on DU, that i'm thinking was perfect answer to texas

The MAN responsible for the pregnancy PAYS 18 years of child support! I bet that law wouldn't last long.

[Tumbulu]

38. What about the man gets sued for the cost of a surrogate -

I don’t know what people pay a woman these days to produce a child for them as a surrogate. But I bet it is at least 80k? So, why can’t the man or the state - since it is the one forcing he woman to produce a ch8ld against her will- get sued for forcing surrogacy?

[Bayard]

40. I like this idea

But she'd have to get a court order to prove it was him, right? The court system will get totally bogged down.