TEXAS – The United States Justice Department said it will protect clinics that perform abortions here, a state with a near-total ban on voluntary pregnancy terminations.
It added that it would “provide support from federal law enforcement” when a clinic, reproductive health center, or patient was “under attack”.
A new Texas law bans abortions from as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
Doctors and women’s rights groups have criticized the legislation known as SB8. It took effect last week.
The so-called “Heartbeat Act” was signed into law by Texas governor Greg Abbott in May.
The law, one of the most restrictive in the country, bans abortions after the detection of what anti-abortion campaigners call a foetal heartbeat, something medical authorities say is misleading.
It also gives any individual the right to sue doctors who perform an abortion past the six-week point.(BBC)
