Facing the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, federal, state, and local lawmakers supportive of abortion rights have been scrambling to find legal avenues to protect abortion access in states where restrictions are almost certain to come.
City council members in Austin, Texas, are arguing that “decriminalization” could be the way for liberal cities in conservative states to get around abortion rights restrictions. What would this look like? And is it even legal?
Post-Roe Trigger Laws
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, a Texas “trigger law” already on the books would go into effect, criminalizing abortion for all pregnancies, except those that directly endanger the life of the pregnant person. Texas would have some of the strictest abortion restrictions in the United States.
