Federal Appeals Court Keeps Texas Abortion Ban in Place Amid Ongoing Litigation
Texas | October 15, 2021
An appeals court ruled on Thursday that a Texas abortion ban will remain in effect as legal challenges against it play out.
The Texas Heartbeat Act, also known as Senate Bill 8, was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May. It bans abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks, unless a medical emergency exists.
The Justice Department had challenged Texas’s abortion ban in federal court on Sept. 9, about a week after the law went into effect, seeking a temporary injunction against the law. On Oct. 6, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman, an Obama appointee, granted the Biden administration’s petition. Texas immediately appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
The 5th Circuit put a temporary administrative hold on Pitman’s ruling on Oct. 8. Its latest ruling on Thursday means that the Texas Heartbeat Act remains in effect while litigation proceeds…. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)