Texas abortion providers on Friday conceded a final blow to their best hope of stopping the nation's most restrictive abortion law after a new ruling ended what little path forward the U.S. Supreme Court had left for clinics.
The decision by the Texas Supreme Court, which is entirely controlled by Republicans, spelled the coming end to a federal lawsuit that abortion clinics filed even before the restrictions took effect in September, but were then rejected at nearly every turn afterward.
“There is nothing left, this case is effectively over with respect to our challenge to the abortion ban,” said Marc Hearron, attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which led the challenge against the Texas law known as Senate Bill 8.
Although Texas abortion clinics are not dropping the lawsuit, they now expect it will be dismissed in the coming weeks or months.
The Texas law bans abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy and makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Abortions in Texas have plummeted by more than 50% since the law took effect.
It is likely to further embolden other Republican-controlled states that are now pressing forward with similar laws, including neighboring Oklahoma, where many Texas women have crossed state lines to get an abortion for the past six months. The Republican-controlled Oklahoma Senate on Thursday approved a half-dozen anti-abortion measures, including a Texas-style ban.
The decision by the Texas Supreme Court turned on whether medical licensing officials had an enforcement role under the law known as Senate Bill 8, and therefore, could be sued by clinics that are reaching for any possible way to halt the restrictions.
But writing for the court, Justice Jeffrey Boyd said those state officials have no enforcement authority, “either directly or indirectly."
The U.S. Supreme Court has signaled in a separate case out of Mississippi that it would roll back abortion rights, and possibly overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, in a ruling that is expected later this year.
The number of monthly abortions in Texas fell by more than 50% in the two months after the law took effect, according to state health figures. But that data only tells part of the story, and researchers say the number of Texas women who are going online to get abortion pills by mail has risen sharply.
Fuse’s new original series, We Need To Talk About America features the takes of first-generation and bicultural comedians on American culture. Tim Chantarangsu, an internet and television personality and a panelist on the show, joined Cheddar News to talk about talking about America. "I think you get to see different spectrums of just like the most trailer park-iest parts of the country to the most, like just weird and random cities and just the weird things people do."
Elli Frank, founder and executive director of Mr. Bones & Co., joins Cheddar News to discuss Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and inspiration behind her nonprofit.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 13, 2022, with President Biden referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a genocide, a suspect has been identified in the Brooklyn subway shooting that injured 23 people, New York’s lieutenant governor has resigned due to bribery allegations, and more.
Vishen, author and founder of Mindvalley, joins Cheddar News to offer wellness tips and discuss how his platform aims to provide a mental health toolkit for users.
The latest on the Brooklyn subway shooting investigation, Biden calls the killings in Ukraine "genocide," and Britney Spears has some big news. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Chuck Marino CEO of the consultancy Sentinel Security Solutions, joined Cheddar News to discuss some of his insights into what law enforcement will be looking to do next in the search for the suspect in Tuesday's mass shooting on a Brooklyn subway train. "They're going to be relying to a certain extent on tips coming from the public as well as witnesses that were present this morning when the incident took place," he noted.
David Katz, a former federal agent with the Department of Justice, and currently founder, CEO, and owner of Global Security Group, joined Cheddar News to talk about the Tuesday mass shooting on a subway train in Brooklyn, N.Y. even as local authorities have so far stated it was not being investigated as a potential terrorist attack. "At this point between the commissioner of the NYPD and the governor of New York, they're almost saying, 'well, it's an active shooter incident.' Okay, but active shooter incidents can also be motivated by terrorism, so until we know motive, we can't make that conclusion at all," Katz said.
Fresh off of the CMT Awards, country singer Mickey Guyton joined Cheddar News to talk about the state of Black and women artists in country music, past and upcoming projects, and her partnership with 3M for its school zone safety initiative for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. “Now that I’m a mom, I always wondered why my mom was so crazy over us, but now I get it” Guyton said. “I hope that drivers start driving undistracted, like put our phones down! Pay attention to signs. When you see children slow down and make sure that they're safe."
