A Texas judge on Tuesday blocked the entry into force of a law dating from 1925 that prohibits the right to abortion, and that the state attorney general ordered to implement after the Supreme Court annulled Roe v. Wade.
The ruling of the Harris County Judge, Christine Weems, only blocks the entry into force of the law temporarily while a final decision is reached.
The law of 1925 established a penalty of up to five years in prison for doctors who help a woman perform an abortion. The legislation prohibited abortion in case of rape or incest, and only established an exception in case the life of the mother is in danger.
The law entered in force after the Supreme Court established in 1973 that states could not interfere in a woman’s decision about her pregnancy.
However, after various rumors, the Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, reversed Roe vs. Wade, representing the end of federal protection for abortion, thus authorizing the states to set their own guidelines.
Given this, states like Texas began to implement the so-called “zombie laws”, which were proclaimed before the Supreme Court guaranteed abortion in 1973, while other states chose to apply “trigger laws”, which are so named because they are designed to take effect when repealed. ue the right to abortion.
Texas, which has been one of the states with the greatest restrictions on abortion, had two laws at its disposal when the Supreme Court issued its ruling: the law of 1925 that was blocked, and another that currently prohibits the right to abortion until six weeks of pregnancy, a time when many women do not know if they are pregnant .
Thus, the decision made this Tuesday by Judge Weems to block the law of 1925 will allow Texas women to abort, though only up to six weeks gestation.
Currently abortion is illegal in Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
Meanwhile, Utah and Louisiana have announced their intention to ban abortion. However, two judges on Monday blocked the implementation of the laws that prohibit this right.
With information from Agencia EFE