The federal government will allocate $29 million to recipients of Title X funding to bolster the grant program that helps low-income patients obtain family planning services, such as contraception, in response to Texas’s ban on abortions in most circumstances.
“Every American deserves access to health care no matter where they live – including access to safe and legal abortions,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on Friday. “HHS is taking actions to support and protect both patients and providers from this dangerous attack on Texans’ health care.”
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ASKS FEDERAL COURT TO BLOCK ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ TEXAS ABORTION LAW
Becerra announced that HHS Office for Population Affairs will grant up to $29 million to Texas clinics to support organizations such as Every Body Texas to safeguard access to contraception after Gov. Greg Abbott implemented a state ban on abortions after six weeks before most women know they’re pregnant, with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
The Justice Department launched a legal fight this week to block enforcement of the “unprecedented” law, which gives private citizens, rather than the state government, the authority to bring a civil action against anyone who performs or “aids or abets” an abortion after six weeks. An Uber driver who takes the woman to an abortion provider, for instance, is vulnerable to a lawsuit if they are caught.
“Today we are making clear that doctors and hospitals have an obligation under federal law to make medical decisions regarding when it’s appropriate to treat their patients,” Becerra said. “And we are telling doctors and others involved in the provision of abortion care, that we have your back.”
This enforcement maneuver was designed to withstand a court challenge of the law’s constitutionality by taking the state out of the equation entirely. The move has proven successful so far. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court declined to block the law, which evades judicial scrutiny, from taking effect on Sept. 1.
“A majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand,” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, an Obama appointee. “Last night, the Court silently acquiesced in a State’s enactment of a law that flouts nearly 50 years of federal precedents.”
TEXAS ABORTION LAW TAKES EFFECT WITH NO INDICATION OF SUPREME COURT BLOCK
The law was praised by anti-abortion rights advocates such as Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, whose aim has long been to throw out the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that ensured access to safe and legal abortions.
“The Texas Heartbeat Act is a response to fifty years of Supreme Court interference in states’ legitimate interest in protecting life and their right to debate and pass laws reflecting their people’s values,” Dannenfelser said. “Washington Democrats should not mess with Texas when it comes to protecting innocent life.”
