States introduce new abortion laws after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

Many states are taking action after gaining the power to decide on abortion.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that guaranteed a woman's right to an abortion, states are taking action.

The court's ruling rolled back constitutional protection for abortion rights, giving each state the power to decide.

Several states had trigger laws in place that immediately banned abortion if Roe was overturned. Others guarantee the right to an abortion under state laws or their constitutions.

Some states are now introducing new laws, emboldened by the Supreme Court's decision.


0

State court blocks Texas' pre-Roe ban on abortion

A state court blocked Tuesday enforcement of a Texas pre-Roe ban on abortion.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week, the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton, said Texas' trigger ban would not go into effect for about two months.

But he added that abortion providers could immediately face criminal charges based on a 1925 law that had gone unenforced since Roe was decided in 1973.

In response, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, Morrison & Foerster, LLP, Hayward PLLC filed a lawsuit on behalf of several abortion clinics in the state, arguing that the statute had previously been declared unconstitutional.

The temporary blocking means abortions up to six weeks of pregnancy can resume at some clinics.

A hearing has been scheduled for July 12.


'Fetal heartbeat law' in effect in South Carolina

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said the state’s abortion ban is now in effect after a federal judge lifted the injunction June 27.

The so-called Fetal Heartbeat Protection from Abortion Act prohibits abortion if cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy -- before many women know they're pregnant.

If a heartbeat is detected, an abortion can only be performed if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if the mother's life is in danger.

“The Heartbeat Law is now in effect. Once Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, the decision on legally protecting the lives of unborn babies was returned to the states, so there was no longer any basis for blocking South Carolina’s Heartbeat Law,” Wilson said in a statement.

He continued, “Our state is now carrying out a government’s most sacred and fundamental duty, protecting life.”


Judge issues temporary restraining order on Utah's abortion 'trigger ban'

Utah 3rd District Court Judge Andrew Stone issued a temporary restraining order on Monday blocking Utah's "trigger ban" on abortions.

Plaintiffs have demonstrated “irreparable harm here in allowing this law to go into effect immediately," Stone said. "I think the immediate effects of [what] will occur outweigh any policy interest of the state in stopping abortions immediately. Doctors here are threatened with felonies. The affected women are deprived of safe, local medical treatments to terminate pregnancies."

The temporary restraining order is effective immediately and lasts for 14 days. There will be a preliminary injunction hearing on July 11.

Planned Parenthood filed the challenge on Saturday.

-ABC News' Jenn Watts


Mississippi attorney general certifies state's trigger law

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said Monday she has certified the state's trigger law banning abortion following the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.

"Mississippi's laws to promote life are solid and thanks to the Court's clear and strong opinion in Dobbs, they can now got into effect," she said in a statement posted to Twitter.

She continued, "As we have said throughout the case, Roe v. Wade presented a false choice between a woman's future and her child's life."

The ban will go into effect in 10 days.

Under the new law, anyone who performs or attempts to perform an abortion in Mississippi will be charged with a felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The only exceptions are to save the mother's life or if the woman is a victim of rape, provided she has reported the crime to law enforcement.