Texas abortion law becomes one of the nation’s strictest (includes video story)

A Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks took effect on Wednesday, Sept. 1, but not without some drama. 

Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed the law in May. In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the measure Wednesday, effectively allowing it to become law.

There are no exceptions for rape or incest, but some medical emergency considerations can allow women to proceed with an abortion. 

President Biden called the law harsh and a complete violation of Roe v. Wade, a decades-old decision that allows the procedure in more circumstances. 

Alexis McGill Johns, Planned Parenthood CEO, parroted Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s criticism of part of the bill that gives regular citizens authority to help enforce the law. “Empowering any citizen in any state to bring essentially a bounty on anyone who is supporting someone trying to get an abortion in Texas is really what is just so draconian,” she said

Valeria Venturini, originally from Caracas, Venezuela, is a Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Social Media Marketing and E-Analytics. Bilingual in Spanish and English, she has a deep passion for storytelling and wants to provide a voice for others. Venturini dreams of working at a news station delivering stories to her community, interviewing citizens, celebrities and political figures.