Texas governor signs law banning abortions after six weeks, allows lawsuits for procedure

(Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

By Brian Brant

(AUSTIN, Texas) Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation on Wednesday that would ban abortions as early as six weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest, and allow anyone in the state to sue over an abortion procedure, according to The Daily Beast.

The legislation, similar to other GOP-led state “heartbeat” bills, would also allow lawsuits, from someone even outside of the state, against doctors who perform the procedure, staff at the abortion clinic, and those — including friends and family — who help the patient get to their appointment. Minimum damages suggested are $10,000.

The Texas Right to Life and other supporters heralded the bill as "the strongest Pro-Life bill to ever reach the Texas House floor,” as critics argue the legislation is one of the most extreme in the country and sets a “dangerous precedent.”

“The goal is clear: to relentlessly attack our reproductive rights until abortion is a right in name only,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement. “Passing these bills is not leadership, it is cruelty and extremism.”

The law, almost certain to face legal challenges, is set to take effect on Sept. 1.

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