Texas anti-abortion law suspended: rights activists are not claiming victory

Even though the law that limits abortion to six weeks in Texas has just been blocked by a federal judge, no health professional dares to perform it after this stage.

REUTERS - EVELYN HOCKSTEIN

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

A Texas federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the law, which came into force in early September, which virtually bans abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy.

But in Texas, medical professionals and women's rights activists are far from declaring victory.

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With our correspondent in Houston,

Thomas Harms

“ 

For us, it's always six weeks.

 This is the same response received in every clinic that performs abortion in Houston.

No, even if the law which limits abortion to six weeks or to the detection of the first beating of the heart (except in the event of a medical emergency), has just been

blocked by a federal judge

, no health professional is at risk. to practice it after this stage.

Justice Pitman agreed with the Biden administration that the so-called SB8 law, which is the most restrictive on abortion in the country, was "

blatantly unconstitutional

."

► Also listen: United States: in Texas, the right to abortion has been considerably restricted

For their part, family planning centers still stick to the six-week limit, but offer financial assistance to go to another state where abortion is less restricted.

Texas filed an appeal

Despite everything, for Aimee Arambide, director of the pro-abortion NGO Avow Texas, this positioning of the clinics makes sense.

" 

In this (anti-abortion) law, it is written that in the event that the execution of the law is temporarily blocked by the courts, during this period the practitioners would still be criminally responsible for any abortion performed 

", explains. she.

Within an hour of Judge Pitman's ruling, the attorney general of Texas, the second most populous state in the United States, filed an appeal with the United States' Fifth Federal Court of Appeal, a court appeal known for its very political, very conservative and anti-abortion positions.

The blockade of the law could be lifted by this court in the next few hours or days.

Without waiting for the outcome of the legal battle, the organization Whole Woman's Health, which operates four clinics in Texas, said for its part that it had resumed abortions beyond the limit set by state legislators, reports l 'AFP.

Going to another state "is not always a realistic option"

The law has been applied since the beginning of September.

How did women in Texas, Americans and undocumented migrants experience the start of its application?

Andréanne Bissonnette is a specialist in abortion issues in the United States at the University of Montreal.

For her research projects, she is in contact with several women in Texas.

“

 For some, the possibility of moving outside of the state of Texas was real as we've seen over the past 36 days. This is a situation that has been used by several Texans. Some clinics in border states including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico have seen an increase in the number of patients from Texas, she

notes.

 Some reported that more than 50% of the patients seen each day were from Texas.

For others, however, this option was unrealistic.

In particular, we must underline the issue of migratory status, that is to say that for women citizens of the United States, this possibility of displacement, if they have the economic means, remains possible.

For women with precarious migration status, this possibility of displacement is not always possible.

And the particular use of the word illegal in relation to abortion has created a feeling of increased fear in connection with the precariousness of the migratory status. 

" 

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