SB 8 would ban abortions before most Texans even know they are pregnant and opens a backdoor for civil suits for any abortion ‘violation’. 

Austin, TX – The Senate Chamber passed  SB 8, a six-week ban that is unlike any ban ever filed or passed. This bill would allow any person, Texan or not, to sue providers, abortion funds, and patient family members not just if they were in violation of this bill but if they were in violation of most Texas restrictions on abortion. 

Essentially, this bill bans abortion before most Texans even know they are pregnant and opens the door to frivolous civil lawsuits in an attempt to harass patients, doctors, and advocacy organizations in the process.

“Abortions would be nearly impossible to get under legislation rocketing through the Texas Legislature that abortion-rights advocates call “uniquely worse” than anything they’ve seen elsewhere in the nation. While the courts have blocked nearly a dozen other states from enacting similar so-called fetal heartbeat bills that essentially ban abortions after as little as six weeks of pregnancy, Texas lawmakers are convinced they’ve engineered a bill that can withstand legal challenges.” [Houston Chronicle, March 29, 2021] 

Avow Political Director Caroline Duble issued the following statement: 

Let’s be clear, SB 8 is the most dangerous six-week abortion ban this country has seen. Not only is this bill a complete ban on abortion, but it also is a backdoor attempt to intimidate and harass doctors and patients by creating a way for frivolous and harassing civil lawsuits to be filed. That means any person or any organization with an anti-abortion agenda could sue a patient, doctor, or advocacy organization under this bill. 
The bill is an unprecedented abuse of the civil legal system to do what the state can no otherwise accomplish through its regulatory powers – and is so far-reaching it would allow a rapist to sue their victim’s doctor, rape counselor, sexual assault nurse examiner, and family. The majority of Texans support access to abortion, but extremist Texas legislators are hellbent on passing the dangerous wishes of an out-of-touch anti-abortion lobby.

###