美国司法部长梅里克·加兰周一就德克萨斯州近乎全面的堕胎禁令发表声明，称针对女性的暴力寻求生殖保健或提供保健的诊所的人不会被容忍。
声明中写道:“当堕胎诊所或生殖健康中心受到攻击时，该部门将从联邦执法部门提供支持。“我们不会容忍针对那些寻求获得或提供生殖健康服务的人的暴力行为、身体阻碍或违反《FACE法案》的财产损害。”
德克萨斯州的法律禁止医生“在医生检测到胎儿心跳的情况下”进行堕胎，这将包括在怀孕六周就能检测到的胚胎心脏活动。
这项法律不同于过去的堕胎立法，因为它允许公民个人提起民事诉讼反对那些帮助或怂恿堕胎的人。尽管该法律被允许生效，但它正受到法律上的挑战。
很多怀孕的人在第六周还不知道自己怀孕了。据报道，美国大多数堕胎发生在六周后疾病控制和预防中心。
加兰的声明称，司法部仍在评估如何挑战法律，司法部长承诺支持生殖健康保健。
声明中写道:“尽管司法部紧急探索挑战德克萨斯州SB8的所有选择，以保护妇女和其他人的宪法权利，包括获得堕胎权，但我们将继续根据我们对FACE法案的刑事和民事执行，保护那些寻求获得或提供生殖健康服务的人。
加兰在声明中援引的《FACE法案》，“禁止使用或威胁使用暴力和身体阻碍，伤害、恐吓或干扰寻求获得或提供生殖健康服务的人。”
它还禁止对财产造成损害提供生殖健康服务的设施。
加兰说，司法部一直与美国司法部和联邦调查局在德克萨斯州的外地办事处保持联系，以确保这些保护措施的实施。
Department of Justice pledges support for reproductive health care after Texas abortion law
Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement Monday on the new near-total abortion ban in Texas saying violence againstpeople seeking reproductive care or clinics offering carewill not be tolerated.
"The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack," the statement read. "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."
The Texas law bans physicians from providing abortions "if the physician detects a fetal heartbeat," which would include embryonic cardiac activity that can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
This law is different from past abortion legislation in that it allows private citizens tobring civil suitsagainst people who aid or abet an abortion. Although it was allowed to go into effect, the law is being legally challenged.
Many people who are pregnant don't know they're pregnant by week six. Most abortions performed in the U.S. occur after the six-week mark, according tothe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Department of Justice is still in the process of evaluating how it can challenge the law, Garland's statement said, and the attorney general has pledged his support of reproductive health care.
"While the Justice Department urgently explores all options to challenge Texas SB8 in order to protect the constitutional rights of women and other persons, including access to an abortion, 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," the statement read.
The FACE Act, invoked by Garland in the statement, "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."
It also bans property damage tofacilities providing reproductive health services.
The department has been in touch with U.S. Attorney's Offices and FBI field offices in Texas to ensure the enforcement of these protections, Garland said.
