Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was accused in a lawsuit of illegally threatening criminal prosecution of abortion providers before new restrictions in the state go into effect, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last week.
Criminal provisions in the so-called trigger law, designed to go into effect 30 days after the end of Roe, are based on an “antiquated” statute that is inconsistent with due process guarantees in the Texas constitution, a group of reproductive health-care providers said in the suit filed Monday in state court in Houston.
“Mr. Paxton’s and the Texas legislature’s attempts to greenlight the immediate prosecution of abortion providers based on violations of the pre-Roe ban must not stand,” the health-care providers, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, said in the complaint.
