Justice Department Files Emergency Order To Block Enforcement Of New Texas Abortion Law

CBS Dallas/Fort Worth

September 15, 2021

During the late-night hours on September 14 the Department of Justice filed an emergency order, asking a federal court to temporarily halt the new Texas law that bans most abortions in the state while it decides the case.

The law, known as SB8, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity — usually around six weeks, before some women know they’re pregnant. Courts have blocked other states from imposing similar restrictions, but Texas’ law differs significantly because it leaves enforcement to private citizens through civil lawsuits instead of criminal prosecutors.

The law — the most restrictive in the US — went into effect earlier this month after the Supreme Court declined an emergency appeal from abortion providers asking that the law be stayed.

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