Texas’ abortion law is about to get a fierce challenge from Democratic lawmakers, and the battle could begin as soon as Monday. After the ‘heartbeat’ law went into effect on September 1st, the left had a collective meltdown, trotting out all their usual tropes about how women won’t be able to kill their babies. They even did their “Handmaid’s Tale” routine, dressing up in costumes from their favorite TV show.
The Democrats became even more incensed when the Supreme Court refused to take up the case. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) posted a tweet complaining about the court’s decision:
BREAKING: The Supreme Court has not responded to our emergency request to block Texas’ radical new 6-week abortion ban, SB8. The law now takes effect.
Access to almost all abortion has just been cut off for millions of people. The impact will be immediate and devastating.
— ACLU (@ACLU) September 1, 2021
However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has reportedly indicated she and her merry band of House Democrats will be mounting a legislative challenge to Texas’ law, which prohibits abortions in situations when the baby’s heartbeat can be heard. KTRH reported that Pelosi indicated “the House will take action to counter a pro-life law recently passed in Texas.”
According to the report, “House members will vote on a reproductive rights bill when they reconvene in the nation’s capital this month.”
It seems the Democrats plan to once again introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021. The bill, which has been introduced each year since 2013, would place restrictions on state legislation designed to decrease abortions.
According to the Center for Reproductive Rights:
The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021 creates a new legal protection for providers to provide abortion care, and their patients to receive care, free from medically unnecessary restrictions and bans on abortion that impede access to care. This new legal protection would safeguard access to abortion in every state against restrictions like six-week and 15-week bans, mandatory delay periods, biased counseling, and medically unnecessary ultrasounds.
The bill is being introduced today by lead sponsors Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Veronica Escobar (D-TX) and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
The bill is expected to easily pass in the House. But the true fight over the proposal will take place in the Senate. With Democrats narrowly controlling the Senate, there is a chance the legislation will pass. However, it is also worth noting that the Democrats do not possess enough of a majority to make this bill a slam dunk. Indeed, it seems likely that at least some Democrats might refuse to sign on to the proposed law.
But the stakes are pretty high. If passed, it would enact sweeping measures specifically designed to ensure an increase in the number of abortion procedures performed each year. It would essentially eliminate any methods for helping mothers consider other solutions; for example, ultrasounds and counseling would be banned. This is a critical battle that will likely determine abortion policy for years to come.
