Appeals Court OKs Immediate Enforcement Of Texas Abortion Law
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that a new Texas abortion law that requires doctors to perform a sonogram and play a sound of the fetal heartbeat 24 hours before an abortion procedure can be immediately enforced while the law is appealed. Opponents hoped to delay the enforcement a few weeks.
The Associated Press: Court OKs Immediate Use Of Texas Abortion Law
A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the immediate enforcement of a new Texas abortion law while opponents challenge the measure in district court. The new law requires doctors to conduct a sonogram before the procedure, show the image to the woman, play the fetal heartbeat aloud and describe the features of the fetus (Tomlinson, 1/13).
The Texas Tribune: Sonogram Law Must Be Enforced Immediately, Court Says
Texas abortion providers were hoping they'd have a few more weeks to start abiding by a state law requiring them to play the heartbeat of the fetus and describe its image on a sonogram at least 24 hours before performing the procedure. They're not going to get it. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals approved Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's request for immediate enforcement on Friday, meaning that clinics must scramble to comply — or face possible prosecution (Ramshaw, 1/13).