A Hawaii congressman is speaking out about the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to step in and stop the recent abortion law in Texas from taking effect earlier this month.
The "fetal heartbeat" law essentially bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, according to The New York Times.
"Inexcusable. SB 8 and SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the U.S.) inaction is a radical attack on reproductive rights and just plain wrong. We need Congresswoman Judy Chu's Women’s Health Protection Act now because rights are not defined by zip codes," U.S. Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele (D-Hilo) wrote in a Sept. 2 Facebook post.
The law also allows private citizens to bring suit against abortion providers -- or even anyone who assists a woman in obtaining an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy -- according to The New York Times.
President Joe Biden called the law, and the Supreme Court’s decision to let it stand, an “unprecedented assault on constitutional rights," said The New York Times.
A hearing is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 1, to consider temporarily blocking Texas’ near-total abortion ban, according to The Texas Tribune. This scheduled hearing follows an emergency request from the Biden administration.
Attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice said in their filing of the lawsuit that the abortion law is "in open defiance of the Constitution," reported the Texas Tribune. "They argued it should be overturned on those grounds, as well as alleging that it interferes with federal interests."