We Cannot Let This Be The End of Roe
Vigilante justice has no place in medical care
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Vigilante justice has no place in medical care
Back in 2016, when Donald Trump was elected President, women across the country felt a chill go down their collective spines. We knew that the election of a misogynistic grifter would spell the end of abortion rights. At the time, we were told we were “histrionic” or “overwrought”, but we knew.
What does State Bill 8 do?
With the complicity of Mitch McConnell, Trump was handed three Supreme Court picks. And with his pledge to the Evangelicals, Trump followed through in appointing justices who he believed would overturn Roe v. Wade. Now, they have followed through by failing to overturn the Texas state law that bans abortions after six weeks without so much as hearing an argument.
For those who have not followed the intricacies of the Texas law SB 8, let me give you a quick primer. The law outlaws all abortions after which a heartbeat can be heard. This is typically around six weeks into a pregnancy. Of course, the heart is not even formed at this point, rather what the law is calling a heartbeat is really just electrical signals coming from tissue that will eventually be a heart, but I digress. At six weeks, most women do not even know they are pregnant.
Because this law is unconstitutional, the Texas legislature created a workaround. The law allows anyone to sue a person who performs or aids and abets an abortion after six weeks. These citizens can collect $10,000 from the person they sue and collect lawyer’s and court fees, although they cannot sue the pregnant person. If they lose, they do not have to pay for the legal fees of the defendant. This would include an aunt who might give the woman money for an abortion, anyone who gives her information on where to get an abortion, or the Uber driver who takes her to the clinic. Texas has deputized anti-abortion groups and individuals to invade the personal health decisions of women. The intent is to make it impossible for women’s healthcare clinics to operate by filing lawsuits left and right.
Yesterday morning, when the law went into effect, I received this email from prolifewhistleblower.com:
