U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday vowed to “protect” women seeking abortions in Texas, as the Justice Department explores “all options” to challenge the state’s highly restrictive new law. “We will continue to protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services pursuant to our criminal and civil enforcement of the FACE Act,” which “prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services,” he wrote in a statement. Garland said the DOJ will work with federal law enforcement to assist any abortion clinics that come under attack. “We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the FACE Act,” his statement read. Last Wednesday, the conservative-majority Supreme Court refused to block Texas’ new law that bans abortions as soon as physicians can detect a heartbeat, typically around six weeks.
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