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Texas Supreme Court Denies Planned Parenthood Challenge to Heartbeat Law

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The Texas Supreme Court denied Planned Parenthood's request Monday to proceed with its lawsuit challenging the Lone Star State's pro-life heartbeat law. 

The Texas Tribune reports America's biggest abortion provider asked the court to declare the law unconstitutional. The law bans abortion once the baby's heartbeat is detected, as early as six-to-seven weeks into a pregnancy.

Planned Parenthood's lawsuit, filed in a Travis County district court, has been indefinitely paused by the Texas Multidistrict Litigation Panel, along with 13 other lawsuits. The five Republican judges on the panel stopped the legal challenges from proceeding after objections by Texas Right to Life, the newspaper reported. 

In reporting on the abortion giant's attempt to overturn the Heartbeat Act, The Texas Tribune disclosed that Planned Parenthood has been a financial supporter of the paper.

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The Texas Heartbeat Act has been in effect for more than a month even though abortion advocates, including the Biden administration, have filed lawsuits to stop its enforcement.  

Experts estimate more than 85% of abortions in the Lone Star State have ceased, according to the Texas Tribune

Legal pundits say the law was written in a very unique way that makes it difficult to block it in court. Even though abortion is legal in the U.S. under Supreme Court precedent, the most original element of the Texas law is that private citizens, not the state or law enforcement officials, are responsible for its enforcement. Texas citizens can sue anyone who helps someone facilitate an illegal abortion. They can also be compensated up to $10,000. 

In September, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion advocates to stop the law. The high court did not rule on the law's constitutionality, it only decided not to block it on a fast-track basis, sending the case back to the state court level instead. 

READ Senate Dems Attack Supreme Court Credibility After Justices Didn't Do What They Wanted in TX Heartbeat Case 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of