The Texas Heartbeat Act continues to remain in effect, sparing roughly 100 preborn lives each passing day. Since the law took effect September 1, an estimated 7,600 babies’ hearts continue to beat as a direct result of the Texas Heartbeat Act!
Now, taking note of Texas’s success, other states are beginning to use our Heartbeat Act as a model for their own states’ next steps towards our movement’s collective goal of ending legalized elective abortion throughout the United States.
This a victory for preborn children in our state and for all of humanity. In no city, state, or nation should decent people be content with the purposeful and intentional killing of human children.
When the Regular Session of the 87th Texas Legislature began, thirteen other states had already passed Pro-Life heartbeat bills. Unfortunately, not one of those states had been able to prevent the abortion industry from receiving injunctions before the law could take effect.
Realizing this failed pattern, Texas Right to Life and other Pro-Life leaders, lawyers, and elected officials decided to change the enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act so that the law could take effect and save lives.
Senate Bill 8, the Texas Heartbeat Act, explicitly states that elected officials shall not enforce this law, instead private enforcement is authorized by creating a new cause of action. This new approach undermines the abortion industry’s strategy of suing the state before the law can save lives.
This private enforcement mechanism is the crux of how our law has been able to remain in effect, despite the abortion industry’s continuous attempts to halt the Texas Heartbeat Act.
The Texas Heartbeat Act is the strongest Pro-Life law to take effect since Roe v. Wade, marking an historic victory for the Pro-Life movement. Texas has now become the first state to put a heartbeat bill into effect.
With the success of the Texas Heartbeat Act’s enforcement, several other states and elected officials have made public statements of intention to use the law as a blueprint to protect their preborn children. Already Florida and Ohio have filed Pro-Life bills which solely rely on this unique private civil enforcement mechanism.
Florida Representative Webster Barnaby filed House Bill 167 and Ohio Representatives Jena Powell and Thomas Hall filed House Bill 480, both of which are modeled on Texas’ language and utilize civil liability as an enforcement mechanism.
Both of these states’ bills, like the Texas Heartbeat Act, only allow suits to be brought against the abortionist and those who aid and abet in the abortion, while protecting the mother from the civil suits.
Civil liability should be focused on individuals profiting off of the destruction of life or those knowingly materially aiding and abetting an illegal abortion. For nearly fifty years our nation has abandoned and lied to women about what abortion does to their bodies and their children’s bodies, all while the abortion industry has profited millions of dollars from abortions.
Texas Right to Life is optimistic that the day is soon coming when abortion will not only be illegal, but unthinkable.
As we continue fighting for that day, we are excited to see how civil enforcement has been taken up as the next tool to protect our nation’s children from abortion.
Already other states are reaching out to Texas Right to Life for advice on how to use this unique private civil enforcement mechanism in their own states’ legislation. Texas Right to Life is humbled to be at the frontlines of the battle against abortion and stands ready to continue God’s life-saving work.
As other states begin to follow where Texas boldly led, DONATE to Texas Right to Life to help us continue this fight in Texas and across the country.
