Abortion providers sue Texas over law baning abortions as early as six weeks

By Heidi Pérez-Moreno, The Texas Tribune

Two months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning abortion as early as six weeks, more than 20 abortion providers responded with a lawsuit Tuesday against various Texas officials aimed at stopping one of the country’s strictest abortion measures to date, known by conservatives as the “heartbeat bill.”

The suit, which is led by Whole Women’s Health, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

“We’ve beaten back these attacks before. We can and we will do it again,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, executive director of Whole Woman’s Health, at a press conference Tuesday. “These are dark days, and it’s easy to feel like the extremists in the Texas legislature are running the table.”

The law is set to take effect Sept. 1. During the regular legislative session, nearly all Republican lawmakers signed on to Senate Bill 8 — either as an author or sponsor of the measure.

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Texas governor signs law banning abortions early as 6 weeks