"Serious Rights Violation"... US Federal Court Halts Texas Abortion Ban Law

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] As the state of Texas in the United States has effectively banned almost all abortions since last month, a federal court has put a halt to it, calling it an "aggressive infringement on important rights."

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 6th (local time), U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman issued a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of Texas' "abortion ban law."

In his ruling, Judge Pitman explained, "Texas has taken unprecedented aggressive measures targeting citizens' important rights and constitutionally guaranteed rights."

This ruling follows a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice last month requesting the suspension of the Texas abortion ban law.

The Texas abortion ban law, known as the "Heartbeat Act," completely prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, including cases of rape or incest, except in medical emergencies.

Since it is difficult for women to recognize that they are pregnant by six weeks, this is interpreted as effectively blocking abortions at the outset.

This directly contradicts the abortion rights allowed before 22 to 23 weeks of pregnancy under the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade.

Judge Pitman criticized, "From the moment the abortion ban law was enforced, women's constitutionally guaranteed right to self-determination was legally blocked."

This ruling is seen as marking a new turning point in the legal disputes over abortion rights in the United States.

As the constitutionality of the abortion ban law is expected to be reviewed by the Supreme Court, the dispute over abortion rights between progressive and conservative camps is anticipated to intensify.

In particular, with the Supreme Court composed of six conservatives and three progressives, there is speculation that the conservative camp advocating for abortion bans may succeed in having the Supreme Court uphold the abortion ban law.

Earlier, immediately after the Texas abortion ban law took effect on the 1st of last month, abortion rights advocacy groups filed an injunction request with the Supreme Court to block the law's enforcement, but it was dismissed by the Court.

At that time, five of the nine Supreme Court justices voted to dismiss the injunction request.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.