A man in Texas sues three women for wrongful death because they assisted his ex-wife in getting abortion drugs. After the US Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade ruling, there has been another test of state-enforced bans.
Marcus Silva claims in a complaint filed late on Thursday in Galveston county that helping a woman have a self-administered abortion is equivalent to helping a murderer. Silva is requesting $1 million in losses.
The plaintiff in the lawsuit is not the lady who took the drug in July, weeks after the supreme court overturned the 1973-era constitutional ban on abortion.
According to Texas law, women who have an abortion are shielded from liability. Pro-choice organizations criticized the lawsuit as an intimidation strategy.
“This is an outrageous attempt to scare people from getting abortion care and intimidate those who support their friends, family, and community in their time of need,” said Autumn Katz, a lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights, on Friday in a statement.
“The extremists behind this lawsuit are twisting the law and judicial system to threaten and harass people seeking essential care and those who help them.”
Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general who contributed to one of the state’s abortion prohibitions, attorneys from the Thomas More Society, a conservative legal organization, and state representative Briscoe Cain, a Republican from the Houston region, are all defending Silva.
“Anyone involved in distributing or manufacturing abortion pills will be sued into oblivion,” Cain said in a statement from the attorneys.
After it is discovered during the discovery process, the pill’s manufacturer will also be listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, texts between the ladies discussed where to get drugs that could cause abortion and how to help the pregnant lady prepare to take the pills.
Vice President Kamala Harries shared a tweet: “Taking away the right of women to make their own reproductive health decisions endangers their health and lives. Women impacted by Texas abortion bans announced a lawsuit, including accounts of lives almost lost after they were denied critical care.”
Taking away the right of women to make their own reproductive health decisions endangers their health and lives.
Women impacted by Texas abortion bans announced a lawsuit, including accounts of lives almost lost after they were denied critical care.
Read my full statement. pic.twitter.com/qIMgUpZhhu
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 7, 2023
As abortion clinics ceased operations in areas with a Republican majority, lawsuits challenging abortion regulations emerged across the Country.
Five women who claimed they were refused abortions even when the condition of their pregnancy endangered their lives filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas earlier this week.
Texas has one of the strictest bans in the nation, outlawing the procedure in nearly every situation aside from medical emergencies.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer Tweeted on Twitter: “In November, Michiganders came together to defend reproductive freedom. Now, there’s a lawsuit in Texas that could lead to a ban on the medication abortion drug, Mifepristone. Here in Michigan, we’ll keep using all the tools in our toolbox to protect this fundamental right.”
In November, Michiganders came together to defend reproductive freedom. Now, there’s a lawsuit in Texas that could lead to a ban on the medication abortion drug, Mifepristone. Here in Michigan, we’ll keep using all the tools in our toolbox to protect this fundamental right.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) March 10, 2023
