Federal court dismisses all challenges to Texas abortion law's citizen enforcement provision

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed all challenges to the Texas Heartbeat Act's private enforcement provision.

Texas's law bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks of gestation. The law drew legal scrutiny in part due to a novel enforcement mechanism by which private citizens may sue anyone for assisting a woman in getting an abortion, including medical professionals.

The court ruling struck down "all challenges to the private enforcement provisions," according to the ruling, obtained by Fox News.

The bill was signed into law in May.