US Attorney General Merrick Garland during Monday's press conference.Ken Cedeno / Reuters
The Joe Biden Administration reacted on Monday to Texas legislation, which practically prevents women in that state from exercising their constitutional right to interrupt pregnancy, with statements by the attorney general in which he assures that the federal government will protect the clinics in case they have seizures.
Through a statement, Merrick Garland has explained that Justice is urgently studying all options to object to Texas law with the ultimate goal of "protecting the constitutional rights of women and other people, including abortion."
To do this, the Democratic Administration resorts to a 1994 law (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or FACE) that prohibits any form of violence against the exercise of the right to abortion.
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Texas, the epicenter of America's war on abortion
Biden's spokeswoman, to a journalist who questioned abortion: "You have never been pregnant."
FACE was signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton (1993-2001) and prohibits the use or threat of force to interfere with or intimidate people who attend a pregnancy termination clinic. The attorney general also reported that contacts have already been initiated with prosecutors and with the FBI offices located in Texas. "We will not tolerate any type of violence, physical impediment or material damage against people who seek or provide contraceptive services," the statement concluded.
After the controversial law came into force in Texas last Wednesday, Biden gave the order to mobilize all the resources available to his government to protect the right to abortion in the southern state. The president criticized the legislation of the Republicans and described the rule as contrary to the US Constitution. The White House also criticized the spirit of persecution of the rule, since it limits the role of the authorities in surveillance but, instead, allows "anyone" to sue women, doctors or anyone who assists in the termination of a pregnancy (and reward her with $ 10,000). “In an atrocious way, it delegates to citizens the responsibility of denouncing those who believe that they have helped another person to have an abortion, which can include family members, health workers,secretaries or employees in clinics or strangers unrelated to the individual ”, reads the text of the law
"Texas law will significantly harm women's access to healthcare, particularly in communities of color and poor," Biden said last week. For her part, the president of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has promised to call a vote at the end of this month of September on legislation that would enshrine the right of women to abortion in federal law. Texas law prohibits abortion from the moment the embryo's heartbeat is detected, around six weeks gestation, when most women don't even know they are pregnant. This is the biggest setback to abortion rights in nearly 50 years.
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