The Supreme Court of the United States did not rule Monday, as some were hoping, but Kimberlyn Schwartz, director of media and communication at Texas Right to Life, says the fact that the court has not yet ruled is encouraging.
"If the Supreme Court believed the Texas Heartbeat Act was as outrageous and unconstitutional, as the abortion industry claims, they would likely want to act quickly, at least entering a temporary stay on the law," suggests Schwartz. "We are thankful the court seems to be giving the law a more reasonable examination."
Meanwhile, every day the Texas Heartbeat Act is in effect is a victory.
"Babies are going to live or die based on what the Supreme Court decides here," says Schwartz. "We estimate that the Texas Heartbeat Act saves about 100 lives per day. And if they were to block that, that means that's 100 children per day that are going to be killed because of the abortion industry."
The Texas Heartbeat Act bans most abortions once a baby's heartbeat is detected. It also allows private citizens to sue abortionists who violate the law.
The Supreme Court examined two lawsuits on November 1st from abortionists (Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson) and Joe Biden's Department of Justice (United States v. Texas) regarding the Texas Heartbeat Act.
At the forefront of the court's considerations is the key issue of whether these lawsuits are valid in the first place.
"The federal district court judge effectively ignored these questions," Schwartz explains. "The Supreme Court justices are taking these procedural and standing questions seriously, which likely contributes to their silence Monday."
