DENVER — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Wednesday that his office joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing a court brief in support of the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Texas over a new state law that bans most abortions.
“I am committed to defending women’s reproductive rights and equality, and Texas’ new law violates longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent by denying women their constitutionally protected right to make their own healthcare decisions,” Weiser said in a statement. “I am proud to join attorneys general nationwide in defending women’s rights that were clearly established under Roe v. Wade.”
The brief was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Texas. It argues the law violates Supreme Court precedent affirming the constitutional right to an abortion. It further contends that Texas lawmakers sought to circumvent prior Supreme Court rulings by delegating enforcement authority to private individuals.
The brief argues that it is essential for the federal district court to keep the law from going into effect immediately because of the irreparable harm that it is inflicting on people in Texas and across the country, including Colorado, the brief argues.
The brief is in support of a Justice Department lawsuit filed last week, that is asking a federal judge to declare the law invalid. The Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity — usually around six weeks, before some women know they’re pregnant.
The brief was led led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and also joined by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.