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LUBBOCK, Texas – Lubbock State Representative Dustin Burrows, co-author of the controversial Texas Heartbeat Act, said Thursday he was sued by 13 separate abortion providers for his role in the law banning the abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
“I salute the contempt of those who gleefully encourage abortion,” Representative Burrows said in a statement. “I will wear their contempt for me as a badge of honor.”
The plaintiffs include private doctors and abortion advocacy groups such as the Lilith Foundation, the West Fund and the Clinic Access Support Network.
Further backlash against the bill has become a security threat. The Texas Department of Public Safety announced a “credible threat” to lawmakers who voted for Senate Bill 8, from a Reddit article.
DPS said they “[take] all matters of personal and public safety very seriously â€, but would not discuss the details of the ongoing threats.
Texas Right to Life, an abortion rights organization that was instrumental in passing Senate Bill 8, has also been sued. Legislative Director John Seago said he was also prosecuted.
“What we’re seeing is a taste of what a post-Roe looks like… a glimpse of what Texas without an abortion will look like,†Seago said. “And so obviously it’s causing a lot of disruption… Texas is starting to see what this problem looks like. once we get rid of this injustice in our state, there are still a lot of people who believe it is necessary and are very angry with the people leading the way to stop these abortions. “
While supporters of the law are sued by abortion providers, abortion providers have also been sued by private citizens. Senate Bill 8. Yet Mr. Seago was quick to dismiss these lawsuits, even though they respect the jurisdiction granted by the law he helped pass. He said one is an attempt to challenge the constitutionality of the law, while the other is likely illegitimate.
“I am not aware of a single good faith lawsuit filed by the pro-life movement,†Seago said. “At the moment, I only know of two lawsuits that were filed by out-of-state deregistered lawyers who filed them as selfish ploys to speak for themselves or to use it as a means to attack the law itself. “
Texas Right to Life said it was concerned the Biden administration’s anti-law efforts were a turning point in their success.
“The most credible threat to the Texas Heartbeat Act will be October 1, when the Department of Justice case is heard in this federal court,†Seago said. “There is a legitimate threat that the Texas Heartbeat Act will be ordered by federal court. “
KAMC News has contacted several plaintiffs in these lawsuits, but they could not be reached for comment.
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