DOJ asks judge to block Texas from enacting abortion law

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an emergency motion Tuesday night to issue an order that would stop Texas from implementing its new controversial abortion law, which prohibits abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

Attorney General Merrick Garland at the time said the regulation is plainly improper because of the restrictions it imposes, and for the provisions that allow state residents to sue individuals who carry out or aid illegal abortions.

“The act is clearly unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent,” Garland said at a press conference.

Abbott’s office, in a statement to The Hill on Wednesday, said it is “confident that the courts will uphold and protect that right to life.”

Press secretary Renae Eze also suggested that the department’s motion was a ploy by President Biden and his administration to shift the conversation away from the messy Afghanistan withdrawal.

“The most precious freedom is life itself. Texas passed a law that ensures that the life of every child with a heartbeat will be spared from the ravages of abortion. Unfortunately, President Biden and his Administration are more interested in changing the national narrative from their disastrous Afghanistan evacuation and reckless open border policies instead of protecting the innocent unborn,” Eze said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the legislation — sometimes referred to as the “fetal heartbeat bill” — in May, and it took effect at midnight on Sept. 1.

The law, which makes an exception for medical emergencies, was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month when the bench denied an emergency request from abortion providers to block the law.

Some Republicans lawmakers are now considering implementing similar legislation in their own jurisdictions, including those in Florida, Indiana, Arkansas and South Carolina.

– Updated 9/15/2021 at 11:51 a.m.