A Texas law banning abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy went into effect at midnight Wednesday.
Abortion providers in the state filed emergency requests to block the measure, one of the strictest in the United States, but the Supreme Court did not take action before the law took effect. Under the law, known as SB 8, abortions cannot be done if an ultrasound can detect what lawmakers say is a "fetal heartbeat," The Texas Tribune reports.
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