Photo: Texas Alliance For Life
A controversial law dubbed the ‘Heartbeat Bill’ has come into effect in the US State of Texas this week after the Supreme Court did not respond to an emergency appeal by abortion providers.
The Heartbeat Bill is one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion measures, banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy - a point when many women do not know they are pregnant. The law is also unusual in that it allows ordinary citizens the right to sue doctors or anyone supporting a procedure past the six-week point, which critics say potentially opens the door to ‘vigilante lawsuits’.
Dr Joe Pojman is the founder and executive director of an anti-abortion advocacy group Texas Alliance for Life. He is an outspoken supporter of the new law, which has put the State of Texas at the center of a national debate over reproductive rights.
Protestors at a reproductive rally held in Brooklyn after Heartbeat Bill went into effect in Texas. Photo: AFP
