AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following a Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S., Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton marked the event by closing his offices statewide Friday and creating a holiday.
A release from his office said the closure, set to start at noon, is “in honor of the nearly 70 million unborn babies killed in the womb since 1973.” June 24 will also be recognized as an annual holiday for the Office of the Attorney General because of the decision, the release said.
“Roe v. Wade and its successor case Planned Parenthood v. Casey have absolutely no basis in the U.S. Constitution,” Paxton said, in part, in a statement. “Nevertheless, for half a century, Americans have had to live under these illegitimate, illegal, and unconstitutional dictates of a partisan, willful Supreme Court. No more.”
Friday’s SCOTUS ruling gives states the authority to drastically limit or ban abortion.
Texas has what’s called a “trigger law” that will take effect in 30 days after the decision. The law makes most abortions illegal in the state with some exceptions: if it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant person or if there were a risk of serious impairment because of the pregnancy.
Democrat Rochelle Garza, who will be challenging Paxton in November for Texas Attorney General, released her own statement, saying in part, “I’m running for Texas Attorney General to fight for Texas families and that includes their constitutional right to reproductive freedom. The Supreme Court decision to overturn nearly 50 years of precedent recognizing the constitutional right to bodily autonomy and abortion access will have terrible repercussions for the working families of Texas, and will disproportionately impact women of color, people living in poverty, and rural communities.”
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