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Supreme Court does not issue opinion Monday on Texas abortion law

When the law first went into effect, the Supreme Court denied a petition to block its enforcement.

TEXAS, USA — There was speculation that the U.S. Supreme Court would issue an opinion on Monday on the Texas abortion law. But, according to the SCOTUS blog, the Supreme Court is not issuing an opinion Monday on the law.

Instead, the Supreme Court's only opinion issued Nov. 22 dealt with a dispute between Mississippi and Tennessee over interstate groundwater.

It's been almost three weeks since the highest court rushed to hear arguments over Senate Bill 8, the so-called Heartbeat Act.

Lawyer Elizabeth Myers said it's one of the most restrictive abortion laws in U.S. history. 

RELATED: Texas' abortion law meets the Supreme Court: How'd we get here? What's at stake? What's next?

"SB 8 basically bans all abortions after the detection of cardiac activity," said Myers. "Which is normally at about six weeks gestation. [It] is actually about two weeks after you might know you're pregnant."     

Texas Right to Life's Rebecca Parma told KVUE she hopes SB 8 stays in place. 

"We want to see all abortion prohibited from the moment of fertilization," said Parma. "That includes banning chemical abortions as well."

Myers believes otherwise. 

"Everybody knows this law is unconstitutional for lots of different reasons, not just because it violates Roe," Myers added.

Myers explained how the law works. 

"SB 8 is specifically not enforceable by the government, so it is only private enforcement mechanisms," said Myers. "Anyone who violates SB 8 is subject to a lot of lawsuits by anybody across the country."

The law first went into effect in September when the Supreme Court denied the petition to block its enforcement. 

RELATED: TIMELINE: Legal challenges to the Texas Heartbeat Act, the state's near-total ban on abortions

A federal judge ordered Texas to suspend its abortion law, calling it an "offensive deprivation" of a constitutional right. Two days later, it was reinstated by an appeals court, later upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

With Thanksgiving approaching, Monday could be the last day the court can decide on Texas cases before they hear more arguments of abortion. A case over Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban is set to be heard on Dec. 1.

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