This summer, Texas politicians have escalated their attacks on reproductive rights with the support of Gov. Greg Abbott (R). Just two months ago, Abbott signed two of the nation's most extreme anti-abortion laws. Despite efforts from reproductive rights organizations to block the legislation, Texas's draconian abortion laws went into effect at midnight Wednesday — to the horror of many.
Under the new legislation, pretty much all abortions in Texas are banned after a fetal heartbeat is found. These can be detected as early as six weeks into pregnancy, which is before most people even know they're pregnant. (Six weeks into a pregnancy can often mean just two weeks after a person first misses their period.) In some other states, these heartbeat bills were struck down for being pre-viability abortion bans. Under Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court noted that states can prohibit abortions after fetal viability, but any attempts to do so beforehand would defy the Roe ruling.
