Controversial Texas law banning abortion after six weeks takes effect after Supreme Court fails to act

A controversial new law banning abortion after six weeks in Texas has taken effect after the Supreme Court's inaction.

The Supreme Court and a federal appeals court did not act upon objections from emergency requests brought forth by abortion providers, which means that as of September 1, abortion is illegal in the state of Texas before many people know they are pregnant, CNN reports.

Private lawsuits can therefore be brought against any pregnant person seeking to have an abortion after six weeks.

Discover more about the new law below: 

According to CNN, no other six-week abortion ban has ever come into effect before, meaning that Texas now has one of the strictest pro-life laws in the entire US.

University of Texas Law School professor Steve Vladeck said: "What ultimately happens to this law remains to be seen but now through their inaction the justices have let the tightest abortion restriction since Roe v. Wade be enforced for at least some period of time."

The policy bans abortion after a fetus has a heartbeat, and there are no exceptions even in cases of rape or incest, however, abortions can be carried out after this time because of "medical emergencies."

Pictured below are people protesting against the new law earlier this year.

Credit: Alamy / ZUMA Press, Inc.

One of the clinics affected by the new ban, Whole Woman's Health, tweeted to say that it was still carrying out procedures two hours before the ban.

The clinic tweeted: "Our waiting rooms are filled with patients. The anti-abortion protestors are outside, shining lights on the parking light. We are under surveillance. This is what abortion care looks like. Human right warriors."

As per CNN, abortion providers argued prior to the bill's introduction that it would "immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access in Texas."

They said that the law would be "barring care for at least 85% of Texas abortion patients", and it would put a range of individuals, such as someone driving their friend for an abortion, at risk of legal action.

The introduction of the law has already been met with fury by abortion rights protestors online.

"Access to almost all abortion has just been cut off for millions of people, the impact will be immediate and devastating," the American Civil Liberties Union said on Twitter.

Featured image credit: Alamy / ZUMA Press, Inc.