ACLU Welcomes DOJ Lawsuit Against Texas Abortion Ban

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WASHINGTON — Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new lawsuit challenging Texas’ radical abortion ban.

The law bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, before many know they’re pregnant, and incentivizes anyone — including anti-abortion activists who have no connection to the patient — to act as bounty hunters and take doctors, health centers, and anyone who helps another person access abortion to court. If they succeed, they can collect $10,000 for each abortion, paid by the person who is sued.

In response to the Department of Justice lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released the following statement from Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project:

“The Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the Texas abortion ban is welcome news. Make no mistake, the Supreme Court's refusal to block the ban last week allowed Texas to take away most abortion access just as surely as if they had overturned Roe v. Wade. As a result, today in Texas, people — especially those with limited resources, people of color, undocumented people, and young people — cannot get the care they need and are being forced to stay pregnant and face having a child against their will.

"This first step by the Department of Justice is critical to righting this injustice for the people of Texas, and to prevent this catastrophe from playing out in other states that have pledged to follow Texas' lead. We all must demand that our leaders, at both the federal, state, and local level, use every tool to protect our ability to make the decision about whether or not to continue a pregnancy. We won’t rest until everybody can exercise their right to access abortion in Texas and across this country.”