In the US state of Texas, a bill has come into force, according to which a ban on abortions for a period of six weeks or more is being introduced. This is reported by Reuters.
According to the bill, it is prohibited to have an abortion if the fetus already has a heartbeat. The exception is cases when conception occurred as a result of incest or rape. At the same time, human rights groups note that in fact the law introduces a ban on abortions in general, since 85-90% of women usually have an abortion at the age of six weeks of pregnancy.
According to Reuters, the law has another feature — it allows citizens to file lawsuits against those who perform abortions, as well as those who help pregnant women break the law. Citizens who have won such claims “will be entitled to receive” at least 10 thousand dollars.
Before that, most abortions were banned in Texas for a period of 20 weeks or more. The ban on abortions at the fifth or sixth week was previously introduced by the state of Idaho.
At the federal level, abortions have been allowed since 1973. At the same time, a number of states have adopted laws that seriously restrict or actually prohibit abortions.
