New Texas law opens up abortion bounty hunting

[laylalex 7,284]

Quote

 

An antiabortion law in Texas will soon allow any U.S. citizen to sue Texas-based abortion clinics, doctors, and anyone who aids in an abortion. If successful, the petitioner, who does not have to reside in Texas, will receive an $10,000 award and the cost for attorney’s fees. Pro-choice advocates worry that this cash prize may create a new cottage industry of aggressive antiabortion bounty hunters. 

The provision, which passed the Texas state legislature this spring, is part of a larger antiabortion bill which will ban all abortions after a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat, usually around the six-week mark. 

Many don’t know they are pregnant before six weeks. For most people, a six-week ban would stop access to abortion just two weeks after a missed period.

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The bill, said critics, is an “affront” to our system of government. “By allowing anyone in the country to sue, we would be throwing open our courthouse doors to harassing and frivolous lawsuits against doctors—putting more strain on our already overburdened court system,” said Dallas County judge Clay Jenkins in a statement.

Other Texas legal officials expressed concern that the bill was broad enough to allow sexual predators to profit off their assaults. “The bill is so extreme that it could even allow a rapist to sue a doctor for providing care to a sexual assault survivor and for the rapist to recover financial damages,” wrote Travis County attorney Delia Garza. 

 

https://fortune.com/2021/07/09/texas-abortion-law-bounty-hunting/

 

This is not going to end well, for anyone involved. Imagine that your friend in Laredo posts something to social media about taking a friend to terminate a much-wanted pregnancy because the pregnancy was incompatible with life. Your friend's friend's doctor advised that abortion was medically appropriate to avoid having to go through the agony of a stillbirth or a miscarriage. Some person in, say, Oregon who doesn't even know your friend, just happens to see the post because the post gets shared, for example. That Oregon person could file suit against your friend. $10k is tempting. Doesn't mean they'll get anywhere, but what is the point but to punish? There are no exceptions for rape and incest, by the way.

[TBoneTX 45,267]

5 hours ago, laylalex said:

your friend in Laredo posts something to social media about taking a friend to terminate a much-wanted pregnancy

The obvious solution is to keep private medical information private.

[moxy 1,051]

13 hours ago, laylalex said:

https://fortune.com/2021/07/09/texas-abortion-law-bounty-hunting/

 

This is not going to end well, for anyone involved. Imagine that your friend in Laredo posts something to social media about taking a friend to terminate a much-wanted pregnancy because the pregnancy was incompatible with life. Your friend's friend's doctor advised that abortion was medically appropriate to avoid having to go through the agony of a stillbirth or a miscarriage. Some person in, say, Oregon who doesn't even know your friend, just happens to see the post because the post gets shared, for example. That Oregon person could file suit against your friend. $10k is tempting. Doesn't mean they'll get anywhere, but what is the point but to punish? There are no exceptions for rape and incest, by the way.

The same people who push these infringements on personal freedoms are the same people who would lose their minds if you replaced "abortion" with "second amendment."