AG Torrez joins brief seeking to override Texas’ pro-life laws
In a controversial move, New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez has joined forces with 21 other attorneys general by signing an amicus brief aimed at expanding access to energy abortion care for Texas patients by overriding the state’s pro-life laws. The brief, filed in the Texas Supreme Court, supports the plaintiffs in Zurawski v. Texas, marking the first legal challenge since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
AG Torrez claimed, “Emergency healthcare should never be politicized or compromised,” criticizing Texas for allegedly creating an “unsafe space for pregnant women.” The statement further expressed solidarity with women across the country facing challenges accessing essential healthcare due to what Torrez referred to as “radical bans.”
The lawsuit, initially filed on March 6, 2023, sought clarification on Texas’ medical emergency exception under state abortion laws. A court order on Aug. 4 temporarily blocked the application of Texas’ abortion ban in cases of “emergent medical conditions.” However, Texas is now appealing this decision in the state’s Supreme Court.
The multistate coalition, represented by the amicus brief, contends that Texas’ laws endanger the lives and health of pregnant women and could have serious repercussions on the health systems of other states. The argument maintains that preventing medical providers from performing abortions needed to treat emergency medical conditions puts pregnant women at risk, as many complications require time-sensitive stabilizing treatment that may include abortion.
Furthermore, the coalition asserts that when Texas hospitals fail to provide emergency abortion care, women are compelled to seek assistance from out-of-state facilities, thereby straining emergency departments in other states dealing with overcrowding, long wait times, and staff shortages.
However, according to medical experts and doctors, abortions are never medically necessary, and the pro-abortion argument is used to confuse and harm women by foisting abortions upon them.
This controversial legal intervention places New Mexico at the center of a divisive national debate, with Attorney General Torrez aligning with a coalition of states advocating for expanded abortion access despite a growing pro-life stance gaining momentum in several parts of the country.
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