Portland city council is preparing to vote on an emergency resolution this week which will restrict goods, services and official travel t...
Portland city council is preparing to vote on an emergency resolution this week which will restrict goods, services and official travel to Texas in protest at the state's the new abortion law.
Texas' SB-8 law, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, is the strictest abortion law in the country, and bans women from having abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is usually around six weeks - before many women become aware of their pregnancy.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says the City Council will hold a vote on the resolution on Wednesday, with the intent to ban Portland's 'future procurement of goods and services from, and City employee business travel to, the state of Texas.'
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (pictured) says the City Council will hold a vote on the resolution on Wednesday, with the intent to ban Portland's 'future procurement of goods and services from, and City employee business travel to, the state of Texas.'
A group of people are gathered at the Times Square of New York City, United States on September 4, 2021 to protest that a Texas law banned abortion
Wheeler said that the City Council 'stands unified in its belief that all people should have the right to choose if and when they carry a pregnancy.'
'The ban will be in effect until the state of Texas withdraws its unconstitutional ban on abortion or until it is overturned in court. City legal counsel is currently evaluating the legal aspects of this proposed resolution,' Wheeler added .
The new Texas law backpedals on the landmark Roe v. Wade law of 1973, which gave women across the country the right to choose to have an abortion.
The act bans women from getting abortions from when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, and does not make exceptions for women who are victims of rape or incest, with the only exception being to save the life of the mother.
Unusually, the law is not enforced by police, but by private citizens.
Any individual can now sue a person suspected of aiding in an abortion in the state, even if it is a case or rape or incest.
Pro-life protesters stand near the gate of the Texas state capitol at a protest outside the Texas state capitol on May 29, 2021 in Austin, Texas
The new order blocks the anti-abortion group from bringing lawsuits against providers and staff at Planned Parenthood centers across the state under the 'Texas Heartbeat Act', which came into effect Wednesday
They could be awarded a minimum of $10,000 if they were to win the case, which will have to be paid for by the abortion provider.
On Friday, abortion providers and pro-choice supporters secured a minor victory in Texas after State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin granted Planned Parenthood a temporary restraining order against Texas Right to Life, its legislative director and 100 unidentified associates late Friday.
The order blocks the anti-abortion group from bringing lawsuits against providers and staff at Planned Parenthood centers across the state under the 'Texas Heartbeat Act', which came into effect Wednesday.
Helene Krasnoff, vice president for public policy litigation and law, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the group was 'relieved' but said 'this is not enough relief for Texas'.
'Planned Parenthood will continue fighting for the millions of Texans affected by S.B. 8., doing everything we can under the law to restore Texans' federal constitutional right to access abortion,' she said in a statement.
Mayor Wheeler said the new law 'violates the separation of church and state' and believes 'it will force people to carry pregnancies against their will.'
'We stand with Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Stephen Breyer, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who fought to block this attack on the reproductive rights, freedom, and autonomy of people across the country,' the mayor's statement continued.
'We urge other leaders and elected bodies around the nation to join us in condemning the actions of the Texas state government. Portland City Council stands with the people who may one day face difficult decisions about pregnancy, and we respect their right to make the best decision for themselves.'
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