Abortion clinics that continue to operate against the provisions of the Texas Heartbeat Act are reportedly facing punishment through the pre-suit petitions of the Thomas More Society.
Charisma News said the Thomas More Society filed the petition against the directors of the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity and the Texas Equal Access Fund for financing abortions despite a detectable heartbeat. The directors have admitted in court their organizations' funding of the abortions, which in turn meant admitting to violating the Texas Heartbeat Act.
The Texas Heartbeat Act or Senate Bill 8 bans abortions for pregnancies six weeks and beyond. The law, which was signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on May 19 and took effect on September 1, empowers any individual to file a lawsuit against anyone who violates it. The law also imposes a $10,000 fine excluding costs of damages and attorney's fees, on top of two years imprisonment to violators.
The Thomas More Society submitted petitions earlier this month to take depositions from Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity Deputy Director Neesha Dave and Texas Equal Access Fund Executive Director Kamyon Conner. The petitions were filed in two separate district courts: the 271st Judicial District for Dave's deposition and the 431st Judicial District for Conner. Thomas More Society filed the petitions on behalf of Sadie Weldon of Jack County and Ashley Maxwell of Hood County.
The depositions are meant to uncover the civil liability and criminal prosecution of individuals who aid illegal abortions. The liabilities include the employees or volunteers of the two funds, as well as, their donors whose gifts are said to have been used or targeted for use in abortion.
Thomas More Society President and Chief Counsel Tom Brejcha explained that funding abortions in Texas are illegal since it ends innocent lives. Brejcha also disclosed that the Funds exposed their personnel to criminal prosecution because it violated SB8.
"It is illegal to pay for an abortion performed in Texas or to contribute to abortion funds to aid or abet these abortions. The Lilith Fund and the Texas Equal Access Fund have admitted to paying for abortions in violation of the Texas Heartbeat Act, and in doing so they have exposed their employees, volunteers, and donors to civil lawsuits and potential criminal prosecution," Brejcha said.
"Those donations were used not for First Amendment advocacy but to end the lives of innocent unborn human beings with beating hearts. Those who are funding or assisting in bringing about these abortions will be revealed in discovery. Anyone who has aided or abetted an illegal abortion in Texas is subject to the full force of the law and imposition of these civil and criminal sanctions," he added.
According to the deposition, the TEA Fund aided or assisted in abortion through emotional, financial, and logistical support of low-income northern Texans who availed of the violent procedure. The TEA Fund assisted one pregnant Texan to obtain an abortion after October 6, 2021, even though cardiac activity has been detected.
Conner also confirmed that TEA Fund's partners-abortion clinics--violated the law. She said the clinics confirmed publicly that a fetal heartbeat was detected before the abortion was conducted.
"TEA Fund paid for at least one abortion after confirming the gestational age of the fetus was beyond the time when cardiac activity is usually detected. In doing so, it was TEA Fund's intention to pay for the abortion even if cardiac activity was detected," Conner said in her testimony.
Dave similarly admitted that at least one abortion was paid for by the Lilith Fund without determining the gestational age of the pregnant woman. Dave also confirmed that a separate abortion was done when cardiac activity could already be detected in a pregnant woman.
Reports show that the Texas Heartbeat Act has led to a 60% drop in abortions as more women have decided to push through with their pregnancies. It is estimated that 100 unborn babies are saved daily because of it.
