‘Flagrantly unconstitutional’: Federal judge blocks controversial Texas abortion law – By Martha Kelner (Sky News) / Oct 7 2021
The judge took exception to what he called an “unprecedented and aggressive scheme” to deprive women of their right to choose.
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the enforcement of a near total ban on abortion in the state, calling the law “flagrantly unconstitutional”.
Senate Bill 8 has been dubbed the “Heartbeat Bill” because it bans abortion once cardiac activity in a embryo can be detected on an ultrasound scan, often as early as six weeks into a pregnancy and often before a woman knows she is pregnant.
It has reframed national debate about whether abortion will remain legal and been widely condemned by women’s rights activists who say it is sweeping away decades of progress.
In a 113-page ruling, Judge Robert Pitman sided with them and the Biden administration which sued Texas in a bid to immediately halt enforcement of the law. He took exception to what he called an “unprecedented and aggressive scheme” to deprive women of their right to choose.
