Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement on Friday, declaring "abortion is illegal [in Texas]" after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade earlier in the day.
He also announced a statewide closure of his offices "as a memorial" to "almost 70 million babies killed in the womb" since Roe v. Wade in 1973.
"Roe v. Wade and its successor case Planned Parenthood v. Casey have absolutely no basis in the U.S. Constitution," Paxton said. "Nevertheless, for half a century, Americans have had to live under these illegitimate, illegal, and unconstitutional dictates of a partisan, willful Supreme Court. No more."
"Today, the question of abortion returns to the states. And in Texas, that question has already been answered: abortion is illegal here. I look forward to defending the pro-life laws of Texas and the lives of all unborn children moving forward."
"Further, we cannot forget the extraordinary violence that Roe and Casey unleashed on our nation. Because of those decisions, almost 70 million babies have been killed in the womb. And so, today at noon, I am closing all my offices as a memorial to these babies. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of them. Never again should something like this happen in America."
Paxton issued an official advisory "setting forth Texas law in light of the Supreme Court's decision."
The advisory states his office looks forward to putting the Texas legislature's Human Life Protection Act of 2021 into effect "as soon as possible."
"Upon taking effect, the Act provides that a person 'may not knowingly perform, induce, or attempt an abortion' except under limited circumstances, such as a life-threatening condition to the mother caused by the pregnancy," Paxton said. "A person who violates the Act commits a first-degree felony if an unborn child dies as a result and incurs civil penalties of not less than $100,000 for each violation."
In addition to the civil penalties, Paxton said his agency will assist local prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against "abortion providers."
The act also stipulates that "a pregnant woman, however, cannot be held criminally or civilly liable under the Act."
"Under these pre-Roe statutes, abortion providers could be criminally liable for providing abortions starting today," Paxton said in the official advisory.
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