Justice Department sues Texas over abortion law

Attorney General Merrick Garland called Texas’ new heartbeat bill “clearly unconstitutional” at a Thursday news conference. The Justice Department is suing Texas, arguing that the bill violates the supremacy clause of the Constitution and the 14th Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week not to block the Texas law has ignited battles over infant life across the country.

What else is going on? South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, issued an executive order on Tuesday to require in-person doctor visits for women obtaining abortion drugs. A federal appeals court in Indiana overturned a judge’s ruling against a law that required women to visit doctors in person at least 72 hours before taking abortive drugs. On Wednesday, 20 attorneys general joined a lawsuit challenging a South Carolina abortion law signed earlier this year. The law protects babies with detectable heartbeats from abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother. It cannot go into full effect until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar Mississippi bill.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’ report in Vitals on how Texas pregnancy centers are responding to the heartbeat bill taking effect.