Texas doctor sued after admitting to violating state's abortion ban

The new Texas law allows private citizens to enforce the ban through lawsuits against abortion providers or others who help women get the procedure.
The Texas State Capitol

A San Antonio doctor who admitted to performing an abortion that violated Texas' six-week abortion ban now faces legal consequences for his actions.

According to The Associated Press, a former attorney in Arkansas filed a lawsuit Monday against Dr. Alain Braid, who wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece that he performed an abortion that is deemed illegal under Texa law. 

Under the new law, private lawsuits can be brought against anyone suspected of "aiding and abetting" an abortion after fetal cardiac activity is detected. If the legal challenges are successful, the defendant could be fined up to $10,000.

Oscar Stilley, the plaintiff in the case, told the Associated Press that he is not opposed to abortion but he sued in order to force a court to review the law. 

"I don't want doctors out there nervous ... quaking in their boots and saying, 'I can't do this because if this thing works out, then I'm going to be bankrupt,'" Stilley said in an interview.

The Supreme Court declined to block the Texas law from going into effect earlier this month, causing outrage among many pro-choice advocates. 

More lawsuits against the doctor are expected.