In June 25, 2018 file photo, pro-life and anti-abortion advocates demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court in Washington. (J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, FILE / AP)
A Texas law that bans abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy went into effect on Wednesday.
Called SB 8, the law prohibits abortions whenever an ultrasound can detect a fetal heartbeat, which usually occurs six weeks into pregnancy and when most women do not realize that they are pregnant yet.
This law effectively bans almost all abortions in Texas, said abortion rights groups.
The abortion law, also enacted in cases of rape and incest, is one of the most restrictive in the United States.
Texas abortion providers had taken the case to the US Supreme Court on Tuesday for an emergency appeal, but the court did not act.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday rebuked the abortion law, vowing that his administration would work to defend abortion rights. "This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century," said Biden in a statement.
The new law will not purposefully be enforced by the state. Instead, only private citizens can sue abortion providers, and anyone involved in aiding or abetting an abortion deemed illegal by SB 8. That might allow the bill to circumvent the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion with some limits.
Aimee Arrambide, executive director of pro-abortion group Avow, called the abortion law "disasters the state manufactures" and said it "opens up the doors to an abuse of the justice system, and sets a dangerous precedent for abortion rights nationwide".
"SB 8 will curb access to abortion overnight. It will decimate the already vulnerable care infrastructure in place, and most importantly, it will leave Texans who need access to compassionate care and support services scared to reach out for help, and advocates afraid to help them," she said.
The Texas Tribune reported that abortion rights advocacy groups and providers estimate that the new law would affect at least 85 percent of abortions taking place in the state.
Also in Texas, a permitless gun-carry law went into effect on Wednesday.
It allows Texans aged 21 and older to carry handguns in public without going through training or having to get a permit, as long as they are not legally prevented from doing so. Before the new law, Texans were required to be licensed to carry handguns.
