As 53,000-plus babies were aborted in Texas last year, businesses that profit off of killing children in the womb are trying to keep their practice legal in the state.

On Tuesday, abortion organizations including Planned Parenthood and Jane’s Due Process—which specifically aids and abets underage girls in exterminating their children—have filed a class action lawsuit against numerous elected officials to try to halt the newly approved Texas Heartbeat Act.

The act, passed by the state Legislature in May, will make it illegal in Texas to kill a baby in the womb once the child’s heartbeat is detected, though the law still does not protect a baby in the first few weeks of their life.

The unique and pertinent part of the law? It’s enforced not by government officials, but by private citizens, giving them power to sue abortion facilities and anyone who assists in killing a child with a heartbeat.

And though government officials are not responsible for enforcing the law, the abortionists’ lawsuit targets them, including Texas district judges and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“If not blocked, [the Heartbeat Act] will force abortion providers and others who are sued to spend massive amounts of time and money to defend themselves in lawsuits across the state in which the deck is heavily stacked against them,” the abortionists’ lawsuit reads.

“This is clearly an attempt to make as many accusations against as many individuals as possible,” wrote nonprofit Texas Right to Life on Tuesday. “The abortion industry is hoping that an activist federal judge will once again pick one argument they like, out of the many attempted, to halt the Pro-Life law.”

“The lawsuit is a desperate measure by an industry that has admitted they do not fully know how to fight such an innovative and unique Pro-Life law,” said Texas Right to Life Legislative Director John Seago.

“This lawsuit is a complete joke and is nothing more than a baseless scare tactic with no legal footing,” said Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values. “This predictable filing sues government officials who are already excluded from being involved in the enforcement of this law.”

The lawsuit also comes after the citizens of Lubbock voted overwhelmingly in May to outlaw abortions within their city limits, making them the largest Sanctuary City for the Unborn in America. Their law has already withstood a legal attack from abortionists.

Meanwhile, the statewide Heartbeat Act will take effect September 1.

Jacob Asmussen

Jacob Asmussen is a Senior Journalist for Texas Scorecard. He attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and in 2017 earned a double major in public relations and piano performance.

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