Activists supporting the right of women to have abortions celebrated outside of the US Supreme Court on Monday after oral arguments over Texas’s new law banning abortions after six weeks into the pregnancy were heard.
Several justices appeared to favor the arguments of activists and legal experts who have argued that the unconventional Texas law is a naked attempt to circumvent a right already established by the Supreme Court.
“We’re pleased, obviously. Several of the justices had concerns about the broad implications if a state is allowed to nullify a federal right through a scheme like [the Texas law],” said Marc Hearron, a counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Marc Hearron, who represents abortion clinics and providers challenging TX abortion law before SCOTUS:
“We’re pleased, obviously. Several of the justices had concerns about the broad implications if a state is allowed to nullify a federal right through a scheme like TX SB 8.” pic.twitter.com/9EvAoVOXig
— The Recount (@therecount) November 1, 2021
Justice Elena Kagan hammered the state’s attorneys for claiming that the implementation of the law had only hypothetical consequences, referring to the sharp drop in abortions performed in the state following the law taking effect.
“That’s not a hypothetical. That’s actual,” she told the state’s attorneys.
More to follow…