The abortion industry in Texas was turned on its head in early Sept. as Senate Bill 8 went into effect. The bill, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, was signed into a law on May 19, 2021 but laid dormant until the clock struck midnight on September 1. 

   The law does not ban abortions, but rather makes those who run abortions scared to do the operation. 

   The whole point of the bill is to prevent abortions when a heartbeat can be detected. This is usually around six weeks into a pregnancy. The law works by allowing anyone in or out of the state of Texas to sue anyone who they believe helped with an abortion.

   Although it hasn’t been challenged yet, it can be assumed that anybody from the Uber they take to the doctor that operates on them can be sued for at least 10,000 dollars in damages. 

   Those who opposed the law asked the Supreme Court to step in but it’s justices refused. The law stayed in effect for five weeks until a lower court temporarily banned it. The ban remained until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck it down. 

   The ban did little to help prevent those seeking abortions to make the trek across the border to states like Oklahoma. Opposers of the law argue that six weeks is far too early because that is when most people begin to notice that they are  pregnant. They have also called this law a scare tactic.

   The greatest fear among abortion clinics across the state is that even if the bill was struck down by the Supreme Court, it could be too late. 

   The Supreme Court has been asked a second time to help step in and turn the law down but it still has not released a statement.

   This could be a grim sign for opposers as the Supreme Court may choose not to intervene again. 

   The bill has been such an achievement for Republicans law makers that it’s begun to make other states try to replicate its success, and if the Supreme Court does not oppose the law, it’s very likely that many states across the county will begin drafting up similar bills.