Texas is Encouraging People to Rat Out Women For Having Abortions

Even as Texas Republicans decry mask mandates as being a violation of bodily autonomy, they are poised to pass a law preventing women from getting abortions past six weeks. They are using the language forged by decades of feminist activists to defend policies that endanger the entire population. Meanwhile, they are casually stripping women of their rights. Bodily autonomy is for everyone except women, it seems.

“Sue thy neighbor”

The SB8 law doesn’t criminalize abortions so much as it encourages people to bombard abortion providers with lawsuits. It allows any individual to sue those that help women seeking abortions for a minimum of $10 000. It was signed by Governor Greg Abbott in May.

Health service providers describe it as the US’ strictest legislation against terminating unwanted pregnancies, effectively creating a bounty hunting scheme that allows members of the public to target abortion seekers and providers. One website even encourages people to rat out individuals anonymously.

More than 20 abortion providers sued to overturn the law, but on Friday night, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals canceled a hearing planned for today. The law entered into effect on September 1st.

It would prevent 85% of abortions, as the majority of women don’t even know they are pregnant at six weeks. Six weeks pregnant means you are two weeks late, which is hardly anything. Many factors, from diet to stress, could cause such a delay, meaning that many people wouldn’t even take a test at that stage.

Proponents describe SB8 as a “fetal heartbeat” bill, which is misleading because embryos do not have functioning hearts at this point, even though they do have some cardiac activity. The Guardian notes that the law is “part of a three-prong strategy to end abortion in Texas, including a separate ban on the most common surgical abortion procedure after 15 weeks gestation, and a third campaign to outlaw medication abortion after seven weeks’ gestation.”

Vigilantism

“The law is really unprecedented in the sense that it bans abortion, but then has no government criminal penalties to enforce the law,” Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project, and an attorney representing a group of plaintiffs who have sued to stop the law from going into effect told The Guardian. “It authorizes anyone in the country to file a lawsuit against any abortion provider, or anyone who helps someone get an abortion, and seek a penalty of that person of at least $10,000 per abortion,” said Amiri.

Abortion-rights advocates warn that the law will encourage anti-abortion activists to flood courts with lawsuits. Even if all of them are thrown out, it will devour the limited time and resources of health providers. It can also be used against a vast number of people in women’s support networks, writes NBC News. “Targets could include not only abortion funds and practical support organizations that provide women in need with money, transportation, lodging, recovery care, and child care, but also doctors, nurses, domestic violence counselors, and even friends, parents, spouses, and clergy members who drive a woman to a clinic or even just provide counseling about whether to have the procedure. Abortion-rights groups have filed a suit in federal court seeking to block the law from going into effect.”

A Constitutional Right In Danger

This new law could put women in Texas’ constitutional right to terminate unwanted pregnancies in danger. It comes at a time when that right is in question elsewhere, as well. In July, Mississippi’s attorney general urged the Supreme Court to do away with the constitutional right to abortion, calling Roe v. Wade “egregiously wrong.” This fall, the court will hear his arguments, giving its newly expanded conservative majority a chance to confront one of the US’ most divisive issues.

Women’s freedoms are in danger, as the line between real life and dystopia grows ever thinner.

P.S. Texas made a website to report women violating the new bill. It would be sooo tragic if they were bombarded by messages about your last period or pictures of your feet…