New York state Attorney General Letitia James is on the side of those fighting against abortion restrictions like those recently imposed in Texas. Under the Texas law in question, abortions in the state are now mostly banned after some six weeks of pregnancy, although many do not even know that they’re pregnant at that point. The law also includes provisions by which private citizens can sue those suspected of involvement in the procurement of an illegal abortion, and should such claims be successful, then those who brought them are entitled to at least $10,000 — which essentially sets up a bounty system.
Over the weekend, demonstrators in cities around the country (including in Texas) turned out to express their opposition to moves like the one Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott undertook with his signing of that law. James chimed in on Twitter as follows:
‘In this nation, we have a constitutional right to abortion. To every American marching to protect this right today: I march with you and will always fight back against these attacks to move our country backward.’
In this nation, we have a constitutional right to abortion.
To every American marching to protect this right today: I march with you and will always fight back against these attacks to move our country backward. #RallyForAbortionJustice
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) October 2, 2021
Speaking of fighting against abortion restrictions, the Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Texas officials over the abortion law in the state. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the abortion ban “is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent,” and he added that federal officials possess “the authority and responsibility to ensure that no state can deprive individuals of their constitutional rights through a legislative scheme specifically designed to prevent the vindication of those rights.”
Recently, the city of Austin, Texas’s council also approved a measure authorizing the usage of city resources in support of legal efforts against the abortion ban. The Austin resolution insists that the Texas abortion law “stands in direct defiance” to Constitutionally established rights to privacy, and the Austin measure also notes that the law “clearly goes against the sentiments of the general public.” Austin Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison added that the state’s law targeting abortions is “unjust,” “inequitable,” and “cruel.”
