Lawsuits against doctor to test constitutionality of Texas abortion law
In the cases filed on Monday, the state would be paying the costs of testing the law
A San Antonio physician who announced he gave an abortion to a woman in defiance of a new Texas law was sued in Texas state court on Monday by two plaintiffs from other states who want to test the law's constitutionality.
Alan Braid said in an opinion piece published in The Washington Post on Saturday that he had broken a new Texas law which banned abortions beyond the point where rhythmic contracting of fetal cardiac tissue could be detected. The law leaves enforcement of the ban to citizens, rewarding them at least $10,000 if they successfully sue anyone who helped provide such an abortion and paying their court costs.
In the cases filed on Monday, the state would be paying the costs of testing the law. One of the plaintiffs who sued Braid, Oscar Stilley, said in a phone call with Reuters on Monday that he opposes the Texas law and wanted to be the first person to force a court to assess its legality.
Texas' new abortion restrictions violate women's constitutional rights, Stilley said.
