What The Texas Abortion Ban Does — And What It Means For Other States With the U.S. Supreme Court mum, a new law went into effect in Texas that bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy . That's well before many women even know they are pregnant. The law allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion — including those who give a woman a ride to a clinic or provide financial assistance to obtain an abortion. Private citizens who bring these suits don't need to show any connection to those they are suing. The law makes no exceptions for cases involving rape or incest. Here's why the law is one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. What does the Texas law prohibit? It bans abortion as soon as cardiac activity is detectable. That's around six weeks, which is before a lot of people know that they're pregnant. Other states have tried to do this, but those laws have been challenged by abortion-ri...