MSNBC host Rachel Maddow had a chance to discuss the breaking Texas news on her show tonight. After Texas banned nearly all abortions, a circuit court had temporarily reversed that ban recently.
Now, a separate court has given Texas Republicans a win by reinstating the ban that was supported by the U.S. Supreme Court to some degree.
This latest move was done by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) applauded this late-breaking Friday news.
Maddow took to her show, lamenting the news, and the clip was somewhat reminiscent of the night Trump won in 2016 and Maddow was very unhappy.
“Just moments ago the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated the Texas abortion ban” she announced.
BREAKING: 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstates Texas abortion ban
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) October 9, 2021
Details coming up after the commercial break… pic.twitter.com/gyvUUR5jMZ
Texas Tribune reported in part:
“Great news tonight, The Fifth Circuit has granted an administrative stay on #SB8,” Paxton tweeted. “I will fight federal overreach at every turn.”
Senate Bill 8 bans abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant. The law has mostly flouted the constitutional right to have an abortion before fetal viability established by Roe v. Wade in 1973 and subsequent rulings. That’s because it leaves enforcement of the new restrictions not to state officials but instead to private citizens filing lawsuits through the civil court system against people who perform or assist someone in getting an abortion. The law lays out a penalty of at least $10,000 for people or groups that are successfully sued.
The abortion law allows for retroactive enforcement — meaning those who helped someone get an abortion while the law was blocked for two days can now be sued.
A day after Pitman’s order, at least one major provider in the state — Whole Woman’s Health — had quickly begun performing abortions that Texas lawmakers sought to outlaw. It appears the clinics and doctors who performed abortions would now be vulnerable to lawsuits after Friday’s order.
Stay tuned for updates on this breaking development.
"The providers … were fully aware of the risks that they were taking, but they took oaths to their patients, to the field of medicine, to provide that care and so they provided that care, consistent with the court's order." -Molly Duane, Center for Reproductive Rights pic.twitter.com/MMfy6FMUfI
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) October 9, 2021
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