Abortion almost banned in Texas
Pro-abortion protest outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, March 4, 2020 (illustrative image).
SAUL LOEB / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
In Texas, the new law (SB8) prohibits any voluntary (or medical) termination of pregnancy after six weeks and allows anyone to sue any person or organization who violates this law.
A bounty of $ 10,000 is even offered if the offense is confirmed by a court.
This law, which came into force on September 1, is the most restrictive in the United States on abortion.
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In Texas, no more abortions are allowed once a sound is detected in the womb of a pregnant woman.
After six weeks, you can hear a heartbeat, according to anti-abortion.
A simple electrical impulse, according to abortion advocates.
Six weeks, a point at which many women don't even know they are pregnant.
The only legal solution is now to leave the state.
The lawyer Pedro Gonzales joined the feminists who protested this Wednesday in the heart of Houston: “
It is a sad day.
Even though I am a man, it concerns us all.
This is not the end, we will continue to try to change things,
”he said at the microphone of our correspondent in Houston,
Thomas Harms.
During the day, President Joe Biden spoke of an outrageous law and called the law “
radical
”, which “
flagrantly violates constitutional law
”.
He pledged in a statement to "
protect and defend the right to abortion
" established 48 years ago in the United States.
The Silent Supreme Court
But this statement is far from sufficient according to Poppy Northcutt, president of the national women's organization in Texas.
“
If he wants to help, he must pass the laws guaranteeing the right to vote.
There is a bill that limits attacks on the right to abortion, it must be passed.
And the only way is to prevent Republicans' obstruction of Congress (permitted by the "Filibuster").
"
As for the Supreme Court of the United States, it has not yet intervened to enforce a right that it itself recognized 48 years ago.
The high court, which former President Donald Trump firmly anchored in conservatism, had still not decided in the evening, two days after being seized urgently by critics of the text.
In the meantime, the last clinics that advised women after six weeks remained open until midnight Tuesday evening and hundreds of patients were able to take advantage of them before the SB8 law came into force.
When others remained in the waiting room, hoping to be diverted to other states.
Many of these clinics are now reluctant to reopen.
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Read also:
United States: controversial new laws come into force in Texas
Teaching civil rights history has become impossible
666 new laws came into effect in Texas on Wednesday.
Among them, a dozen are really major, including the carrying of a weapon without a license and the prohibition to censor a Texan on social networks.
But the legislator has decided to intervene in the way in which civic and historical education is taught at school.
And the Republican conservatives have outright banned discussing certain topics, reports our correspondent in Houston.
In Texas public schools, teaching the history of civil rights, the Black Lives Matters movement, or the massacres of Native Americans became impossible on September 1. "
With this law, the best is not to talk in class about the abuses of the Klu Klux Klan, and in any case avoiding making the slightest connection between this movement and the white supremacists
", notes Mark Jones, professor. in political science at Rice University of Houston. “
It's an ideological battle that will lead teachers to self-censorship, who will simply avoid talking about complicated subjects. This law will create a nightmare for school districts: they will have to deal with complaints from parents, students and also teachers
. "
In fact, Law HB 3979 prevents teachers from discussing current events and systemic racism in the classroom. This text supported by the Republican majority also prohibits examining the history of the United States from the point of view of slaves and their descendants. Also forbidden to question in Texas the history of Fort Alamo: say that recent research shows that the battle of Fort Alamo was more about retaining the right to own slaves than to fight against Mexican tyranny and for the Texas independence is impossible to evoke in public school. “
There is no recourse but to go to court to discuss interpretations of the law,”
continues Mark Jones.
You are free to express yourself as an individual, but this does not apply to your job.
"
A school principal in North Dallas already has been suspended for allegedly taught that racism is inherent in the US.
He was the first black to lead this school since its inception 25 years ago.
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