The Supreme Court of the United States decided Thursday evening to allow the Texas Heartbeat Act, also known as S.B. 8, to remain in effect within the state indefinitely. The timely event occurred exactly one day before the annual March For Life is set to take place in Washington, D.C.
The only Justices to dissent, unsurprisingly, were liberal-leaning Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan. Justice Sotomayor called the decision a “disaster for the rule of law,” however purposely ignoring the fact that the U.S. Constitution lays no structural legal backbone or precursor that directly protects abortion, or the murdering of developing babies in the womb, as a constitutional right.
The claim is that the Fourth Amendment’s right to privacy guarantees a loose translation toward a “right” to abortion, however, that claim continues to be up to debate, even among Supreme Court Justices, to this day.
Justice Antonin Scalia once famously said in Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health “the Constitution contains no right to abortion. It is not to be found in the longstanding traditions of our society, nor can it be logically deduced from the text of the Constitution; not, that is, without volunteering a judicial answer to the non-justiciable question of when human life begins.”
Regardless of the decision SCOTUS were to take on the matter, S.B. 8 is a unique bill in which it allows private citizens to enforce the law through civil suits, rather than the state itself. Which brings into larger proportionality the question of whether the federal government is allowed to intervene anyway.
The author of the six-week ban bill, Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes, told The Dallas Morning News that “Even if the courts were to do that, it would have no effect on the operations and the delay, Senate Bill 8 would still work.”
While the highest court’s decision provides a huge setback for the pro-abortion movement, on the other hand, it provides a huge win for the pro-life movement. According to the opponents of abortion, allowing the state to implement abortion restrictions beginning at six weeks of fetal development may reflect a potential Roe v. Wade overturn in the near future; one that many taking part of the annual March For Life event believe is long overdue.
The pro-life movement has recruited hundreds of thousands of members, including notable celebrities and actors such as Eduardo Verastegui, Kirk Cameron, and Alexa Vega.
Actor Kirk Cameron is expected to speak at the March For Life event on Jan. 21. Other notable speakers include U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., Lisa Robertson from “Duck Dynasty,” and Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La.
March For Life is the largest pro-life demonstration in the world which takes place every year on Capitol Hill on the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states. The event is an act of protest against that ruling, while peacefully demonstrating that being pro-life means to “create a world where the beauty and dignity of every human life are valued and protected.”
This year’s March For Life happens to take place during a time when the Supreme Court is also reviewing arguments related to Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case that could pose a significant challenge to Roe v Wade.
Those that are unable to make the march in Washington D.C. have the option to attend similarly-held rallies in other states across the U.S., such as in California, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut throughout the new year.
