Despite the foolhardy attempts to silence Texas Right to Life and to enjoin the life-saving Texas Heartbeat Act, the law remains in effect. Planned Parenthood sued Texas Right to Life and Legislative Director John Seago on September 2 and received a temporary injunction today. The injunction only prevents the named parties from filing or assisting others in lawsuits against Planned Parenthood abortion clinics. Other citizens are legally authorized to sue Planned Parenthood if their abortionists violated the Texas Heartbeat Act, and Texas Right to Life is legally authorized to sue others who might aid or abet abortions. Thus, today’s ruling ultimately has no effect on the Texas Heartbeat Act or the risk the abortion industry is taking if they violate this life-saving law.
Despite receiving a limited victory in the Travis County court, Planned Parenthood announced they will continue to comply with the law and cease all elective abortions after six weeks. Approximately 100 babies and pregnant women per day will continue to be saved by the law.
Additionally, Texas Right to Life defeated Planned Parenthood’s attempts to reveal the names of Pro-Life advocates with whom we have spoken and worked on the Texas Heartbeat Act. Not only would this be a perverse attack on Texas Right to Life’s First Amendment rights, but the move would have expanded Planned Parenthood’s campaign against Pro-Life Texans, empowering them to block activists from enforcing the Texas Heartbeat Act. Today’s agreed order prevented further attacks on our First Amendment rights and stopped the abortion industry from seeing the names of others who could then be threatened.
Texas Right to Life celebrates the historic impact of the Texas Heartbeat Act and will continue our diligent efforts to ensure the abortion industry fully follows the life-saving provisions of the Texas Heartbeat Act.