Judge orders Texas to suspend new law banning most abortions, Sen. Hughes weighs in

EAST TEXAS — A federal judge has ordered Texas to suspend a new law that has banned most abortions in the state since September. The order Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman freezes for now the strict abortion law known as Senate Bill 8. It bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which is usually around six weeks. That is before some women even know they’re pregnant. The decision is the first legal blow to the Texas law since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it to take effect last month. The bill was authored by Senator Bryan Hughes, of Mineola. Following the ruling, Senator Hughes in a Tweet said, “Judge Pitman’s ruling is not the final word on the Heartbeat Act. The injunction will be immediately appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and we are confident that the Fifth Circuit will stay and reverse the ruling.” The appeal has in fact already been sent to the Fifth Circuit court.