Ken Paxton, the attorney general for Texas, told Newsmax his state is trying to set a pro-life example for the rest of the country insofar as protecting the unborn.
"What we're trying to do is protect life," Paxton told "Spicer & Co." "We're trying to set an example for other states and set the example for the country on protecting the unborn."
On May 19, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law S.B. 8, known as the heartbeat bill. The measure would prohibit an abortion after the first detection of a heartbeat, which usually takes place within 5-6 weeks after the forming of the zygote.
"This is probably the most significant legislative session as it relates to the pro-life bills," Paxton said. "We've certainly been protecting life for years and years, but these are the boldest steps I've seen. And I think, with the Supreme Court taking the case that they just took."
The Texas law comes in light of the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing earlier this month to hear arguments beginning in October in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The case involves the constitutionality of a Mississippi state law prohibiting abortions after the fifteenth week of pregnancy except in cases of medical emergencies or fetal abnormalities.
"We got a really good opportunity to protect human life," Paxton asserted. "And I'm really excited about this. It's awesome to see what Texas is doing."
On Tuesday, the Texas House passed H.B. 1280, a "trigger" law that would almost immediately outlaw abortions in Texas if the U.S. Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion. The law would result in a second-degree felony for anyone attempting to carry out the procedure.
"I think this was an important step towards states' rights. And not so long [ago], we used to believe in the Tenth Amendment and states having control over their own laws," Paxton said of the trigger law. "And this is one of those examples we're hoping that [the] Supreme Court will step in and recognize states' rights like they did so long ago. And we'll control abortion in this state, and hopefully we can stop it."
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