Some Texas providers worked up until midnight to care for as many women as they could before the law took effect.
While they were providing care, Whole Woman's Health tweeted, "The anti-abortion protestors are outside, shining lights on the parking light. We are under surveillance. This is what abortion care looks like. Human right warriors."
While the Supreme Court was standing aside to allow the law to go into effect, abortion rights advocates have turned to state courts. On Tuesday, a state district court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the would-be vigilantes—forced birther zealots who pushed for the law and who vow that they won't be stopped, even under the restraining order.
Meanwhile, another bill banning the use of medication abortions after seven weeks passed the Texas House Monday. Again, at seven weeks many women don't even know they’re pregnant yet. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the drugs through the 10th week. Doctors who help women get the pills could be subject to two-year prison sentences.
The court is expected to rule soon on the emergency application of the providers' lawyers to block the law. Given that the majority allowed the law to go into effect, throwing the rights and the health care of around 7 million Texas women into question, it is not at all certain that they'll respect their own precedent on Roe and Casey and block the law.
It's hard not to look at how this unfolded and not believe that this was the outcome intended by the the federal courts. The notoriously extremist 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a district judge in Austin from acting on the law. It delayed a hearing scheduled for Monday in a U.S. District Court. A coalition of advocacy groups, including the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood, and the American Civil Liberties Union, had asked a federal judge to prevent court clerks from accepting the lawsuits brought by private individuals and to block any of the trial court judges from enforcing the new law. The actions by a three-judge panel on the 5th circuit made it inevitable that the Supreme Court would get the emergency order, and more to the point, that extremist Justice Samuel Alito would get it, since he's the justice with jurisdiction over the region.
It is a very real possibility in America right now that the federal courts are conspiring against us, against the rights of women, of people of color, of voters, of poor people.
The court is expected to act, eventually, one way or another on the emergency order.
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