Biden vows to ‘defend abortion rights’ after Texas passes pro-life law

"Today, Texas law SB8 went into effect. This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century," wrote Biden in a statement on Wednesday.

"The Texas law will significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes," the statement continued. "And, outrageously, it deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual."

"My administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right," Biden concluded.

While Biden said that his administration will defend Roe v. Wade, he did not specify how that would be conducted in this case.

The Texas Heartbeat Act, or SB8, states that "a physician may not knowingly perform or induce an abortion on a pregnancy woman unless the physician has determined, in accordance with this section, whether the woman’s unborn child has a detectable fetal heartbeat."

According to NBC News, the law went into effect after the Supreme Court failed to respond to abortion rights activists’ requests to block the bill, which bans most abortions after six weeks.

The law also states that any person may bring forth civil action against any person who performs or aids in getting an abortion. The state itself would not be the one going after those who induce or receive an abortion.