Abortion, Texas "Heartbeat Act" and the US Supreme Court: A Critical Evaluation.

Sanctioning abortion is a challenging task because of the competing maternal and foetal interests. While the former asserts her right to autonomy and bodily integrity the latter relies on its right to personhood and sanctity of life. In order to reconcile the competing interests the Courts across the world have declared the foetal viability as the line of demarcation, clearly acknowledging that the woman’s autonomy does not include the right to sacrifice a viable foetus unless its continuance imperils the life of the woman. The U. S. Supreme Court's pronouncement on 1 September, 2021 refusing to injunct the Heartbeat Act enacted by Texas legislature, declaring the conceptus as "Unborn child", "from fertilization until birth", treating "fetal cardiac activity" as the relevant point to determine the fetal viability and equating an illegal abortion with "wrongful death" has created a storm in the ethico-legal circles and medical community. This article examines the salient features of the Texas anti-abortion law and the U.S Supreme Court's refusal to grant the interim relief, in the light of judicial decisions on abortion across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]