A federal judge has scheduled a hearing on Oct. 1 to consider the Justice Department’s request to temporarily block a recently enacted Texas law that effectively bans abortions after nearly six weeks of pregnancy, he reported The Texas Tribune.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court declined to block the Texas abortion law, which bans medical procedure after a “fetal heartbeat” is detected, which can often occur before a woman knows she is pregnant.
The law is unique in that it allows private citizens to file a lawsuit against people suspected of having performed or helped a woman receiving the procedure. These people can be awarded $ 10,000 for each successful lawsuit.
On Tuesday night, the Justice Department filed an urgent motion to prevent the law from being enforced in the state, arguing that it prevented “women from exercising their constitutional rights.”
Instead of acting on the Biden administration’s request to freeze the law, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Pitman will hear arguments before issuing a decision at the state’s request, he reported. the Tribune.
Texas has until Sept. 29 to file its case against the Justice Department’s request and the department can respond before Oct. 1.
The decision to hear arguments means that the law will have been in effect for at least one month, and will remain in effect for at least a time until the judge issues its decision on the DOJ application.
In response to questions from reporters last week, the governor. Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott: COVID-19 hospitalizations beginning to reach the plateau in the Dallas area (R), who signed the law in May, defended the legislation, saying rape victims were covered by the law and that Texas intended to eliminate rapists from the state. Victims of rape could have an abortion within six weeks of becoming pregnant under the law.
“Let’s be clear: rape is a crime,” Abbott said, according to KXAN. “And Texas will work tirelessly to make sure we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out, arresting and prosecuting them and taking them off the street.”
The Hill has contacted the Justice Department and Abbott’s office for comment.