Texas bill to repeal abortion ban
The gist
Texas lawmakers filed a bill to repeal the state's abortion ban and trans youth care ban.
Republicans still hold the state Senate, so the repeal's path is narrow.
How it unfolded
- 2021Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas Heartbeat Act, banning abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detectable (around six weeks); a separate "trigger law" later criminalized performing, inducing or attempting an abortion after Roe was overturned.
- 2022The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing individual states to regulate abortion access.
- 2024An all-Republican Texas Supreme Court rejected the Zurawski v. Texas challenge to Senate Bill 8 (2021).
Key terms
- Texas Heartbeat Act
- A Texas law banning abortion after detection of embryonic or fetal cardiac activity, usually around six weeks of pregnancy.
- trigger law
- A law that is unenforceable until a key change in circumstances makes it enforceable.
- Roe v. Wade
- A 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that the Constitution protected a pregnant woman's right to choose abortion before fetal viability.
Source: Wikipedia