The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected a closely watched challenge to the state’s restrictive abortion ban, ruling against a group of women who had serious pregnancy complications and became the first in the U.S. to testify in court about being denied abortions since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

In a unanimous ruling, the all-Republican court upheld the Texas law that opponents say is too vague when it comes to when medically necessary exceptions are allowed. The same issue was at the center of a separate lawsuit brought last year by Kate Cox, a mother of two from Dallas, who sought court permission to obtain an abortion after her fetus developed a fatal condition during a pregnancy that resulted in multiple trips to an emergency room.

Abortion rights activists have struggled to stem the tide of restrictions that have taken effect in most Republican-led states since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe vs Wade, which for nearly 50 years had affirmed the constitutional right to an abortion.

The court said the law’s exceptions, as written, are broad enough and that doctors would be misinterpreting the law if they declined to perform an abortion when the mother’s life is in danger.

  • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    "Texas law permits a life-saving abortion,” the court wrote in the order signed by Justice Jane Bland.

    Under the law in Texas, doctors who perform abortions risk life in prison, fines of up to $100,000 and revocation of their state medical licenses.

    Hmmmm

    • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
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      6 months ago

      It’s hard for me to choose the more likely theory:

      (1) That these judges are so deluded that they think this is reasonable; or (2) That these judges are making the argument that it’s possible to get an abortion in bad faith because that means justifies the end of keeping a law on the books that prevents effectively all abortions.

      • QuaternionsRock@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Or they’re interpreting the law as written without context so they can get home by lunch, just like every other originalist.

      • samus12345@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        They think abortion is murder for religious reasons and are doing everything in their power to discourage them from happening.

    • مهما طال الليل@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      Under the law in Texas, doctors who perform abortions risk life in prison, fines of up to $100,000 and revocation of their state medical licenses.

      This is excessive. Way too much. Cruel and unusual punishment is against the US constitution.

      Seriously, just consider the following from bad evil theocratic authoritarian Saudi Arabia:

      Expat doctor, nurse arrested in Saudi Arabia over unsafe abortions

      The Ministry of Health in Riyadh referred the two medical professionals to the public prosecutor, and they face imprisonment for up to six months and a fine of up to $26,000 (100,000 riyals).

    • radicalautonomy@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I was raised here. Now, after over 40 years of living here, I am finally leaving this summer. Fuck this entire fucking state. I’ll watch the flames of Texas from the comfort of the Pacific Northwest. Good god damned riddance.

      • JimSamtanko@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        We didn’t either. But we saved for a few years, and found a cheap place to gain a foothold until we could do better for ourselves. Schools in Washington aren’t too bad.

  • Starkstruck@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I wonder what Texas will do when all the doctors leave to work in states that won’t arrest them for saving lives.

    • Tyfud@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Complain harder about woke ideologue as they blame liberals for shunning their perfect state.

      I say this as a recent transplant out of spending almost 2 decades in Texas.

      Couldn’t get out of there soon enough. So happy we left.

      • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
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        6 months ago

        Where’d you go instead? Also looking to move elsewhere as my home state slides further into theocratic hell

        • Tyfud@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          We’re up in Colorado, near the Denver area now. Much, much, much, much better. This state isn’t batshit insane.

          • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
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            6 months ago

            Really? That’s literally exactly where we were planning to go, just have heard some bad things about the crime rate and cost of living, not to mention being much colder.

            • Tyfud@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              It’s cold at night, and warm during the day. But yeah, it is more expensive up here.

          • Crikeste@lemm.ee
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            6 months ago

            I was gonna say something contradicting you, but I have no place to do so coming from Utah lmao

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I again would request for all the big big Texas pussy to shut down until the law is aborted. Can’t have pussy if you’re not going to take care of it.

  • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Get ready, America. Van loads of morality police beating women on the street for not dressing conservatively are in your future.

    • BigFig@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Really depends if my fellow Texas men actually love their wives or not. I’m not quite sure that they do…

        • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          They can definitely have the whole “I got mine” ideology down like bedrock in their souls.

      • troglodytis@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        They absolutely completely love the mothers of their children. And they promise to take extra special care of them and make the best decisions for their family. 🤮

    • GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      It could happen if we could get more people to the polls.

      In 2020, there were 21.5 million people in the voting age population, of which 16.95 million were registered to vote, and of those 11.3 million cast a vote. Of the votes, Trump receuved 5,890,347 votes and Biden received 5,259,126.

      Hopefully we will have even better turnout this Oct/Nov. We were the first state to have an in-person early voting period and unfortunately, over 40 years later, isn’t well-utilized.

      For those in TX, the last day to register to vote is Oct 7.

      Voting goes from October 21-Nov 1, with one final day to cast your vote on Nov 5.

      Applications to vote by mail must be received by Oct 25.

      Check your registration status, local polling locations and hours, important dates, and other election information at the link below.

      https://www.votetexas.gov/mobile/index.htm

        • GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Thats interesting, i hadn’t heard that before! Looks like Biden received 5,244,103 votes in New York, which is 15,023 less than he received in TX.

          Looks like TX just needs more of the urban population to turnout to cou tractor the red rural parts.

        • samus12345@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          And more people in California voted for Trump than in any other state. Numbers don’t matter, percentages do.