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Earlier this week Arkansas man Oscar Stilley filed a lawsuit against a Texan doctor who performed an abortion and wrote about it publicly in defiance of the state’s strict new ‘Heartbeat Act’, which bans abortions beyond the first six weeks of pregnancy.
The law is unusual in that it allows ordinary citizens the right to sue anyone who performs an abortion, or anyone suspected of “aiding or abetting” an abortion. Successful suits can bring the plaintiffs awards of at least US$10,000.
Stilley, who was described in the complaint as a “disbarred and disgraced” lawyer, is one of the first people to file legal actions under the strict new law.
The Texas State Capitol Photo: AFP