Texas governor signs more abortion restrictions into law

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) last week signed a new abortion bill into law, further restricting access to the procedure in the state.

Senate Bill 4 — which the Texas Legislature approved during the special session that ended on Sept. 2 — bans the use of abortion-inducing drugs in the state seven weeks into a pregnancy, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The bill also allows people who “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” breach the law to be criminally charged, according to The Dallas Morning News. The penalty for such an action would be a state jail felony, which comes with fines of up to $10,000 and between 180 days and two years in prison.

The law takes effect in December.

Abbott’s signing of S.B. 4 comes less than a month after another controversial abortion bill — referred to by some as the “fetal heartbeat bill” — took effect in the state.

That legislation, which Abbott signed in May, bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

The law also allows most private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who is believed to be in violation of the law.

A doctor in Texas who admitted to performing an abortion that was in violation of the fetal heartbeat bill was sued on Monday, marking the first legal action that will test the constitutionality of the restrictive, controversial measure.

Alan Braid, a San Antonio physician, said he performed the abortion five days after the law went into effect because he believed he had “a duty of care to this patient.”

The Supreme Court earlier this month rejected an emergency request from abortion providers to block the law.

The Hill reached out to Abbott for comment.