Now that Texas and the nation have had a week to absorb the reality of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, lawmakers, activists and legal analysts are trying to figure out how far states can — and will — go to eradicate abortion.
Barring an electoral shock in November, Texas is bound to be a leader, if not a pioneer, with schemes to target abortion medication and deter women from going out of state to terminate a pregnancy. And that doesn’t just mean the Legislature. Ordinary Texans and activist groups could try to police the matter under Texas’ pernicious “heartbeat” bill.
It hasn’t gotten enough attention, but the fact that Texas can now make providing an abortion a crime doesn’t overturn the novel law, enacted last year. Recall that it allows civil suits, brought by just about anyone, against people who perform or aid and abet abortions after about six weeks’ gestation.
