Mr. Garland’s statement appeared to be an initial step by the Biden administration to find a way to counter a state law that has pushed the issue of abortion rights back into the center of American politics. “I think he was trying to send a signal to people on the ground that they need to physically leave clinics alone. Instead, it effectively deputizes ordinary citizens to sue anyone who performs the procedure or “aids and abets” it. It went into effect on Wednesday after the Supreme Court, in a 5-to-4 vote, decided not to block it, despite the precedent of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. Though the majority stressed that it was not ruling on the constitutionality of the Texas law, the decision appeared to confirm the worst fears of reproductive rights activists, who have warned that conservatives were moving aggressively to put in place a court majority that would upend abortion rights.

Source: International New York Times September 06, 2021 21:56 UTC