Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the anti-Life temporary restraining order directly to the Supreme Court of Texas today! The Supreme Court of Texas, our state’s highest court, has a solid Pro-Life majority.
With today’s appeal, the state Supreme Court has an opportunity to stop abortions again as our law dictates.
This appeal comes after a Houston judge tried to allow abortionists on Tuesday to continue killing babies until the state’s “trigger law” takes effect.
The judge’s ruling blocked a handful of government officials from enforcing Texas’ pre-Roe abortion ban against specific abortion clinics. However, the lawsuit did not impact our state’s homicide laws, which say, “[murder charges][do]not apply to the death of an unborn child if the conduct charged is… a lawful medical procedure…”
Abortion is no longer a lawful medical procedure. Thus, Texas can still prosecute abortionists today for murder under Chapter 19 of the Texas Penal Code.
Texas Right to Life attorney Emily Cook explained:
“Although some government officials are temporarily blocked from enforcing the pre-Roe statutes against certain abortion clinics, the law is still valid and abortion is no longer a ‘lawful medical procedure.’ This means that abortion is considered homicide under the Texas Penal Code and can be prosecuted as such.”
Paxton added, “Let there be no mistake: the lower court’s unlawful order does not immunize criminal conduct, which can be punished at a later date once the temporary restraining order is lifted.”
Texas Right to Life is closely monitoring the industry’s disregard of the law for future prosecution and accountability.