Texas Prosecutors Says That New Abortion Rescritions Are “Recouse Draining”

In a panel in the 2022 Texas Tribune festival, district attorneys for Harris, Kaufman and Fort Bend pointed out several complications and doubts about the new abortion restrictions in Texas. 

Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton said that the new abortion restriction in Texas create several complications and doubts for the District Attorneys in the state. He emphasized that attorneys, who now face the possibility of prosecuting medical professionals, may be called to prosecute in another county if another district attorney refuses to do so. “The criminal justice system is meant to keep people safe, I don’t think it’s right to criminalize a medical decision”, said Middleton.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a new trigger law in Texas was activated. This new law makes performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to life in prison, including abortion in cases of rape and incests because the law only contemplates narrow exceptions to save the life of a pregnant patient. Kim Ogg, Attorney for Harris County, said that pursuing cases of abortion is unpractical. “Our resources are so few to deal with the rise in violent crime. The idea that law enforcement is going to spend a lot of time investigating seems low”, said Ogg.