Today the Texas House heard the 2nd reading of SB 8, the Senate bill that bans abortion at 6 weeks and allows anyone to sue someone who they suspect helped a pregnant person get a prohibited abortion. This bill already passed the Senate, and tomorrow it will go for a 3rd reading and final vote in the House. Click here to read our previous post about the whole process.
Why so many votes? We have no idea. Maybe to keep clear on newer versions. See, today the bill changed between first being read on the floor and the vote. Amendments, or changes, were made and accepted. One amendment would in theory deny a rapist the right to sue under this law — we say “in theory” because it’s not clear what the state will require to prove that the person committed rape, and as we all know reporting a rape places burdens on survivors. Another amendment changed the statute of limitations.
So what does this mean for the bill? After 3rd reading and the vote, if it passes, it has to go back to the Senate because the Senate has to approve the amended version. If the Senate does that, it goes to the Governor for him to either sign it into law or veto it.
