AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today said he would immediately appeal a U.S. District Court ruling that blocks Texas from enforcing a law protecting unborn human life from ghastly dismemberment abortions. The law, known as Senate Bill 8, was passed during the regular session of the Texas Legislature this year and signed into law by Governor Abbott. It was set to take effect September 1.
“During a five-day trial this month in district court, we created a record unlike any other in exposing the horrors of dismemberment abortions. No just society should tolerate the tearing of living human beings to pieces,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Through extraordinary evidence and expert witness testimony, we established that Senate Bill 8 is lawful, treats the unborn with dignity and respect, and protects the integrity of the medical profession. We will defend Senate Bill 8 all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.”
Abortion by dismemberment kills fetuses by tearing them limb from limb while they are still alive, causing the unborn victim to bleed to death. The Supreme Court previously held that states may pass laws to protect and foster respect for human life, including unborn life.
Senate Bill 8 ensures more humane treatment of unborn children while still allowing forms of second-trimester abortion that abortion providers in Texas admit are safe and effective.