On September 1 at midnight, Senate Bill 8—known as the Heartbeat Act—went into effect in Texas, effectively criminalizing abortion in the state in a blatant violation of Roe v. Wade.
The law bans abortions after six weeks, before many even know they're pregnant. What's more, it allows anyone who aided or abetted the procedure—from doctors who perform an abortion to Uber drivers who transport someone to a clinic—to be subject to criminal liability. The law offers up to a $10 thousand bounty to those who successfully report an illegal abortion.
The Supreme Court, which has the power to issue an emergency halt of the law, has yet to act—a possible reflection of its conservative majority.
Now, anti-choice activists at Texas Right to Life have launched an anonymous tipline to enforce the law, calling on Texans to report their neighbors for suspected illegal abortions.
This is real, and it made me cry. https://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/\u00a0pic.twitter.com/OgkzgjtDU2— Deborah Copaken (@Deborah Copaken) 1630518062
The site states:
"Texas Right to Life will ensure that these lawbreakers are held accountable for their actions. Use the links below to report anyone who is violating the Texas Heartbeat Act by aiding or abetting a post-heartbeat abortion. And report any person or entity that aids or abets (or that intends to aid or abet) an illegal abortion in Texas."
Amid extreme backlash to the bill across the nation, some called on their followers to spam the line with bogus reports.
I don\u2019t want to encourage anyone to overload this incomprehensibly evil and shockingly stupid website with ridiculous reports but I don\u2019t not want to encourage y\u2019all to report your neighbor\u2019s dog in heat either.https://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/— Lauren Hough (@Lauren Hough) 1630517324
Hey everybody, there\u2019s a whistle blower website to report women getting abortions in Texas and I have been working on spamming it with fake tips featuring illicit and disturbing content. Please join me.https://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/— Cam (@Cam) 1629814614
I plan on starting off each morning with a report or two over coffee and flex my ability to tell people what to do! I encourage you ALL to do the same. Lets make life extra enjoyable for the people who have to read the reports. Extra. Extra. Extra.https://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/— Dr. Sarah Parcak (@Dr. Sarah Parcak) 1630501637
Social media users more than delivered.
You can now anonymously report abortions occurring in Texas. It does not require email verification. Type whatever you want, attach photos of ANYTHING you want, then hit submit. Repeat as often as you'd like. https://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/\u00a0pic.twitter.com/QGqvnAQES9— Jon Adams\u2122 (@Jon Adams\u2122) 1629832963
Truly would be a shame if this website was inundated with BS and forced to shut down\u2026.\n\n Doing my part! \n\nhttps://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/\u00a0 https://twitter.com/ziibiing/status/1429054004777127938\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/ZgDUQFJYTh— becca midwest\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83d\udcbb (@becca midwest\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83d\udcbb) 1629554784
This is highly unethical crap, so I suggest we make lots of reports to keep these nutjobs busy.\nhttps://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/\u00a0pic.twitter.com/HncdEb8brF— Do\u00f1a Ximena RN, Hail Belzeboobs \ud83d\udfe9 \ud83e\ude7a\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89 (@Do\u00f1a Ximena RN, Hail Belzeboobs \ud83d\udfe9 \ud83e\ude7a\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89) 1629584405
unhinging on some Texas Republicans join the fun \n\nhttps://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/\u00a0pic.twitter.com/7iFuFBSwZE— megadad \ud83c\udf08 (@megadad \ud83c\udf08) 1629648114
Whatever you do, don\u2019t spam this link with nonsense. This is only to be used for legitimate abortion whistleblowing. https://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/\u00a0 https://twitter.com/adubs80/status/1428835376895041538\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/WiFt3qnZ5q— Bi_Laws (@Bi_Laws) 1629663204
Remember to report suspicious anti abortion activity in TX using this anonymous form! Here's my latest submission!\nhttps://prolifewhistleblower.com/anonymous-form/\u00a0pic.twitter.com/9yaTGobPwj— Maqart (@Maqart) 1629824960
There's growing pressure on the Supreme Court to halt the law's enforcement.
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AMC