Joe Biden's government filed a lawsuit against Texas on Thursday, September 9, seeking the overturn of a law that bans virtually all abortions in that conservative state.

The law, whose entry into force on September 1 was strongly denounced by the Democratic president, "is clearly unconstitutional in the light of the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court", declared the Minister of Justice, Merrick Garland, at the time of a press conference.

>> To read also: "In Texas, it is now almost impossible to abort"

"The Department of Justice is responsible for defending the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law, today we are fulfilling this duty by filing a complaint," he added, assuring that we acted "after a examination of law and facts "and not under political" pressure ".

Texas law prohibits abortion once the embryo's heartbeat is detected, around six weeks pregnant, when most women don't know they are pregnant.

It does not provide for an exception in the event of incest or rape, but only in the event of a medical emergency.

Refusal of the Supreme Court to intervene

The Supreme Court of the United States guaranteed the right of women to have an abortion as long as the fetus is not viable, that is to say around 22 weeks of pregnancy.

However, she refused to intervene for the moment in the Texas case, citing "questions of procedure".

Texan law indeed includes a new device, which complicates the intervention of federal courts: it is not up to the authorities to enforce the measure, but "exclusively" to citizens, encouraged to file a civil complaint against organizations or individuals. that help women to have an abortion.

>> To read also: "How an anti-abortion site became the symbol of the battle against the law in Texas"

A week ago, Joe Biden lambasted the Supreme Court's decision not to suspend the law and promised "an immediate response" from his government, which he had ordered to find "measures to ensure that women in Texas have safe and legal access to abortion ".

With AFP

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