Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/21a24_8759.pdf
Page Number: 9

Cite as:  594 U. S. ____ (2021) 

3 

SOTOMAYOR, J., dissenting 

the law.  See, e.g., Virginia Office for Protection and Advo-
cacy v. Stewart, 563 U. S. 247, 254 (2011) (citing Ex parte 
Young, 209 U. S. 123 (1908)).  By prohibiting state officers
from enforcing the Act directly and relying instead on citi-
zen bounty hunters, the Legislature sought to make it more
complicated  for  federal  courts  to  enjoin  the  Act  on  a
statewide basis. 

Taken  together,  the  Act  is  a  breathtaking  act  of  defi-
ance—of the Constitution, of this Court’s precedents, and of
the  rights  of  women  seeking  abortions  throughout  Texas.
But over six weeks after the applicants filed suit to prevent 
the  Act  from  taking  effect,  a  Fifth  Circuit  panel  abruptly 
stayed all proceedings before the District Court and vacated
a  preliminary  injunction  hearing  that  was  scheduled  to 
begin on Monday.  The applicants requested emergency re-
lief from this Court, but the Court said nothing.  The Act 
took effect at midnight last night.* 

—————— 

* The Court’s inaction has had immediate impact.  Two hours before 
the Act took effect, one applicant reported that its waiting rooms were 
“ ‘filled  with  patients” ’  urgently  seeking  care  while  “ ‘protesters  [we]re
outside, shining lights on the parking [lot].’ ”  De Vogue, Texas 6-Week
Abortion Ban Takes Effect after Supreme Court Inaction, CNN (Sept. 1,
2021),  www.cnn.com/2021/09/01/politics/texas-abortion-supreme-court-
sb8-roe-wade/index.html.  Then, at midnight, the Act became law, and 
many abortion providers, including applicants, ceased providing abortion 
care  after  more  than  six  weeks  from  a  woman’s  last  menstrual  period 
(LMP).  See,  e.g.,  Alamo  Women’s  Reproductive  Care  (Sept.  1,  2021), 
https://alamowomensclinic.com (“We cannot provide abortion services to 
anyone with detectable embryonic or fetal cardiac activity[,] which is typ-
ically found at 6 weeks or more from last menstrual period”); Southwest-
ern Women’s Surgery Center (Sept. 1, 2021), https://southwesternwom-
ens.com/southwestern-womens-surgery-center-dallas-texas/ 
(“In
compliance with Texas Senate Bill 8 of 2021, starting on September 1st
2021, our facility cannot provide abortions to patients with detectible em-
bryonic or fetal cardiac activity, which typically starts at 6 weeks LMP”). 
Since  then,  at  least  one  applicant  has  stopped  providing  abortions  en-
tirely. 
(Sept.  1,  2021), 
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-south-texas
(“Due to Texas’ SB 8 law, we are unable to provide abortion procedures 

Planned  Parenthood  South  Texas