US Attorney General promises that they will protect women who seek abortions freely in Texas

The United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland, has indicated this Monday that federal authorities will protect those “reproductive health clinics” that may be the target of attacks and all women who seek to terminate their pregnancy voluntarily in Texas, after one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the country was passed in the southern state.

“The Department of Justice will provide support to the Federal Police when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is attacked. We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services,” he has remarked.

Garland has insisted that they will act against those who violate the so-called FACE Act, which prohibits the use of force, obstructing, or launching threats against those who seek to obtain medical services related to the voluntary termination of pregnancy.

In a statement, prosecutor Garland explained that the Department of Justice is studying “urgently” all possible options to challenge the new law against abortion in the state of Texas “in order to protect the constitutional rights of women , including access to abortion”.

“We will continue to protect those who seek to obtain or provide reproductive health services in accordance with our legislation,” he has underlined. The FACE Law provides financial penalties of up to $100,000, and even jail for repeat offenders, for those who obstruct entry to these types of clinics, either through threats or violence.

The new Texas abortion law is one of the strictest in the United States, prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected – starting at six weeks’ gestation – which is often before a woman even knows she is pregnant. pregnant. It does not foresee any case for rape or incest, although there is an exception for “medical emergencies”.

It also allows citizens to file civil lawsuits against anyone who helps a pregnant woman have an abortion and provides rewards of up to $ 10,000 for doing so.

Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected an appeal by a group of abortion clinics to prevent the legislation from going into effect, thanks to a conservative majority of five votes, which argued procedural reasons for not intervening.