Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that any state would be allowed to ban abortions on its territory, tonight (Friday through Saturday) two more Republican policies were approved to enforce the ban. The Supreme Courts of Texas and Ohio have approved enforcing the decision and have joined a number of Republican states that have already approved the decision during the week.
In Texas, the Supreme Court acted after Ken Paxton, the Attorney General filed a formal motion to revoke a temporary restraining order issued by a judge on Tuesday. The order allowed women to resume abortion processes in the country as long as the pregnancy did not exceed six weeks. Despite this, on July 12 there will be another court hearing on the issue.
In Ohio, Gov. Mike de Wayne has signed an order banning abortion after the fetus first undergoes cardiac activity, an event that usually reaches about six weeks into pregnancy. A few hours later, a federal judge overturned the order. Ohio Attorney General Dave Jost argued that “the Ohio Constitution does not recognize the right to abortion. Prosecutors should pursue their policy goals in a political process, not in the courts.”
At the same time, New York and New Jersey have actually chosen to strengthen and anchor women’s rights and allow women from other states to have an abortion. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has signed legislation that would allow people coming from other states to have an abortion to be protected from prosecution in the countries they came from.
In New York, the Senate passed an amendment to the state constitution that enshrines the right to abortion and the right to use contraception.