How the Texas abortion law can send you to jail even if you don't get an abortion - KIIITV.com
“Not only could Texans sue but any person in the United States could bring a lawsuit against that person that aided or abetted in the performance of the abortion."
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The supreme court hearing two challenges to SB 8 on Wednesday also known as the 'Heartbeat Bill.’ the bill bans abortions after six-weeks of pregnancy and puts enforcement in the hands of private citizens.
There is a lot of information when it comes to this and to help explain it all 3News spoke with Associate Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M Kingsville Travis Braidwood who says this case is focused on abortion but in many ways it’s not about abortion at all.
"This case is about a legal concept called standing where you have to be harmed to bring a lawsuit,” said Braidwood.
“So, the thing that's odd here is Texas has granted all citizens Texas or non the ability to say that somebody doing this action in violation of Texas law has harmed me, they're essentially bestowing this ability to have standing to bring a lawsuit.”
Braidwood adding that when it comes to these lawsuits Texas is not the enforcer, private citizens are. So, what does that mean? How exactly can a citizen sue another for aiding and abetting abortion access?
"You took a friend to a clinic and the friend lied and said she was having a pap smear or some other gynecological exam. In reality she got an abortion, and it was in violation of Texas law.
“That aiding of the woman seeking the unlawful abortion would make you the driver subject to lawsuit because you aided and embedded an illegal abortion in the state of Texas,” said Braidwood.
Braidwood says this case has a lot of moving parts and complication and there are already lawsuits.
Braidwood added a lot of people expect the Supreme Court is going to say this law is unusual that allowing it to go forward would undermine every potential right anyone could exercise.
But he says we just have to see how this pans out in the eyes of the Supreme Court.
As of right now the current legal status is you can seek access to abortion in the state of Texas but only in that six-week window.
source: https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/how-the-texas-abortion-law-can-send-you-to-jail/503-8b52f3e4-f206-45cc-9e69-e5b738a25ef2
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