Let's look at a map here showing
which states could ban abortion.
Now that Roe versus Wade has
been struck down in 13 states,
so-called trigger laws were designed
to take effect in exactly this case,
and then the impact could go even
further as other states with conservative
legislatures could also try passing
partial or full abans on abortion.
And you can see all of those outlined
in different shades of red there.
Of course, one of those in the shade of red.
Is the state of Texas,
so joining us is senior reporter
Teresa Woodard to help kind of
walk us through exactly what
this means for us here in Texas.
The impact is going to be a big one, Teresa
no Jason. The impact of this ruling really.
The magnitude of this day just cannot be
overstated in our state and in our nation.
Texas women had grown accustomed to
the scaling back of abortion access,
but most probably assumed at the
end of the day it was a protected
legal right at the federal level.
It no longer is,
and with Roe overruled the old laws.
Written decades ago outlawing abortions
here in Texas are back in place.
Abortion can be considered
illegal at this moment,
but performing one is a misdemeanor.
Some prosecutors might choose not to
enforce those old laws right now.
Soon, though,
when those new state laws go into effect,
as Jason was talking about the trigger
law performing an abortion in Texas
will become a first degree felony.
State Attorney General Ken Paxton says
providers will be criminally prosecuted.
A person who performs an abortion
faces at least a $100,000.
Fine and they will lose their license.
So Jason,
this means there could be a District
Attorney somewhere in Texas filing
charges for an abortion that
happened after 9:10 this morning.
At this very moment.
Of course,
Senate Bill 8 which essentially
outlaws abortions at six weeks
that does remain in effect,
but that is enforceable.
Civilly, we know.
As of this afternoon,
we've had word that whole Women's
Health and Planned Parenthood,
some of the large providers of
abortion services in the state
of Texas have stopped providing.
Abortions in our state.
OK, so there is no exception we know here
in Texas for rape or incest in Texas law,
but there is one exception in there and
that is to save a woman's life so kind
of walk us through that if you could. It
does exist in the law,
but it's going to be ambiguous.
I think is a good way to say
it because it's subjective,
it will be up to a provider to
decide exactly what it means.
Does it mean they can step in if
the woman might be having some?
Complications,
does it mean that they only
can step in if that woman is
is moments away from death,
so there's going to be big
decisions that these providers
have to make and so we don't
know exactly what that's going
to be. It's going to say ambiguity could be
a very scary thing in a situation like this,
because as you mentioned,
this would no longer be enforced civilly,
as has been the case for,
you know, almost a year now,
but first degree criminal?
Yeah, let's talk about where we go from here.
I know that a lot of those blanks
haven't been filled in yet,
but it seems like.
Nobody around the country
has been asking that,
and of course here in Texas as well.
Yeah, there's definitely some concern
over the idea that there were other
rights that were mentioned in the
Supreme Court opinion by Justice Clarence
Thomas saying that these could be at
risk as well the right to gay marriage.
The right to contraception because at
the end of the day with this ruling,
seems to say is that if it's not
in the Constitution,
it's not a protected right?
And so there's a lot of people
who are concerned about that.
I had some conversations with some
Democrats in the state of Texas today
who said get ready because there will
be additional legislation filed that
they believe will attack those rights.
We also have had many conversations with
Republicans today who seem to be poised,
ready to perhaps put action in
place that would penalize companies
who provide assistance to women.
To go elsewhere to get an abortion
because we've already been seeing
some of those big corporations
coming out and saying, hey,
we will actually help facilitate this because
we don't agree with what has happened.
Interesting stuff. Theresa, thank you.