A judge in Texas ruled the state’s controversial new abortion law unconstitutional Thursday. The statute bans abortions after six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant, and deputizes private citizens to sue for its enforcement. The judge took issue with the enforcement mechanism in his ruling, writing, “This case is not about abortion; it is about civil procedure… In sum, if SB 8’s civil procedures are constitutional, a new and creative series of statutes could appear year after year, to be enforced by eager ideological claimants.” Texas Right to Life, a major anti-abortion group in the state, told the Texas Tribune it plans to appeal the ruling.
