Abortionists Are Leaving Texas; DOJ Fails in Attempt to Get Heartbeat Law Blocked
Abortionists are leaving Texas rather than risk being sued under the new Texas heartbeat law, which prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. And in other good news, the U.S. Department of Justice, which had filed its own lawsuit against the new law in a Texas federal court, was denied the expedited process it asked for, leaving the law in effect for the foreseeable future.
The Guardian reports that on August 31, the day before the Texas law went into effect, there were 17 abortion providers serving at the four locations of the Whole Woman’s Health abortion facilities in Texas. On September 1 there were only eight.
Apparently, the majority of abortionists who work for Whole Woman’s Health fly in weekly to perform abortions from out of state and have decided they don’t want to run the risk of being sued under the new law. Several abortion clinic managers have also resigned for the same reason.
“Just because we are complying with SB8 doesn’t stop extremists from saying that we are defying SB8,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, the founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health. “Even with compliance, there is a reasonable amount of threat that our staff and our doctors have to weigh. There is still so much risk to them.”
And that news report only reflects one abortion seller, albeit one of the largest ones. If other abortion facilities are facing a similar exodus of abortionists, the good new could be multiplied several times over.
And Texas is ready to help women choose life for their babies.
The state legislature recently increased funding for abortion alternatives, from $80 million to $100 million. The money goes to pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and maternity homes that provide free services – everything from temporary shelter to diapers and cribs to job skills training and more.
Pregnancy resource centers PRCs are located across the state, providing counseling, baby supplies, and even ultrasounds for women in need. And many, if not most, of those centers are manned by Christians, whose mission to save pre-born lives also includes ministering to mothers in need, and hopefully sharing the good news of the gospel with them.
Focus on the Family’s Option Ultrasound program provides financial grants to PRCs across the nation, including Texas, to help purchase ultrasound equipment and provide training in its use. Our experience has shown that women who view their babies via an ultrasound are more apt to choose life for them rather than abortion. Focus also promotes adoption through its Wait No More program.
In other Texas news, the U.S. Department of Justice, which chose to enter the Texas heartbeat law controversy on the side of abortionists by filing its own lawsuit and asking for an immediate injunction, hit a roadblock when a federal judge in Austin denied the government’s request for an expedited process.
In a short, one-paragraph order issued on September 16, federal district judge Robert Pittman, an Obama appointee, said the government’s case “presents complex, important questions of law that merit a full opportunity for the parties to present their positions to the Court.” The judge has scheduled a hearing for October 1.
Pittman is the same judge who is presiding over the suit filed by the abortion industry against the law. His initial order allowing part of that suit to proceed in August was later stopped by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant an emergency request to block the law.
For now, the result of these recent court decisions is that preborn lives are being saved every day that the Texas law is in effect. That success is encouraging other states – especially those who have passed heartbeat laws that were immediately blocked by courts – to look at and possibly adopt the unique features of the Texas law which have thus far prevented abortionists from blocking it.
Photo from Shutterstock.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bruce Hausknecht, J.D., is an attorney who serves as Focus on the Family’s judicial analyst. He is responsible for research and analysis of legal and judicial issues related to Christians and the institution of the family, including First Amendment freedom of religion and free speech issues, judicial activism, marriage, homosexuality and pro-life matters. He also tracks legislation and laws affecting these issues. Prior to joining Focus in 2004, Hausknecht practiced law for 17 years in construction litigation and as an associate general counsel for a large ministry in Virginia. He was also an associate pastor at a church in Colorado Springs for seven years, primarily in worship music ministry. Hausknecht has provided legal analysis and commentary for top media outlets including CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS Radio, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and BBC radio. He’s also a regular contributor to The Daily Citizen. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. Hausknecht has been married since 1981 and has three adult children, as well as three adorable grandkids. In his free time, Hausknecht loves getting creative with his camera and capturing stunning photographs of his adopted state of Colorado.
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