Texas Abortion Law

Texas passes a law banning abortion once cardiac activity can be detected; for most individuals, this is the sixth week of pregnancy and often before the person is aware that they are pregnant. The law makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest and states that termination is legal “only if the pregnancy could endanger the mother’s life or lead to substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.” State officials are barred from enforcing Roe v. Wade and the language of the law makes challenging the legality in court difficult. The law is referred to by activists as the most restrictive in the country.