Abortion: The US Department of Justice sued Texas for its anti-rights restriction | “The law is clearly unconstitutional”

The United States Department of Justice has filed a Lawsuit against the state of Texas for its new law banning abortions after the sixth week of gestation. “The law is clearly unconstitutional,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference.

“The Ministry of Justice has the obligation to defend the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law ”He said and added that for this reason “today we are fulfilling this duty by filing a complaint”.

The trial comes after the president Joe Biden attacks Supreme Court refusal to block Texas abortion law and promised to launch a “government-wide effort” to repeal it.

What the anti-abortion law says

Last week, a law came into force which prohibits abortion in Texas beyond the sixth week of gestation, something that is practically a total ban on abortion, as this is often the time it takes for women to confirm pregnancy.

“As we know, pregnancy weeks are counted from the last period, so we are talking about a woman with a normal menstrual cycle, he will only be two weeks late. In most cases, women did not find out by then that they are pregnant, ”warned lawyer Paula Ávila-Guillén, executive director of the Women’s Equality Center, an organization that works in the United States. for human rights and equity.

The rule – promoted by Texas Gov. Republican Greg Abbott, and approved by the state’s Congress, also a Republican majority – offers rewards to those who report non-compliance. In the best witch-hunt style, this law establishes that anyone can sue a doctor or clinic in case they suspect an abortion has been performed after this time. And the person who sued can receive up to $ 10,000 in rewards for reporting and helping to comply with the law.

Biden’s reaction

In the aftermath of the new law coming into force, United States President Joe Biden ordered the mobilization of all possible resources of his government to “Make sure women in Texas have safe and legal abortions. “

The president regretted in a statement the decision taken by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, which has a reinforced conservative majority, do not block Texas law prohibiting termination of pregnancy who have more than six weeks gestation.

The president explained that he had asked the Gender Policy Council and the White House prosecutor’s office to carry out “A comprehensive government effort” to respond to the Supreme Court resolution.

Biden felt that the court’s decision is “An unprecedented attack on the constitutional rights of women” guaranteed by the 1973 judgment in Roe v. Wade. This decision made it possible to establish the right to abortion in constitutional law, by determining that a woman can terminate her pregnancy during the first six months of pregnancy.