They number 666. A battery of laws passed in the spring came into force on Wednesday, September 1, in the American state of Texas, confirming the victory of the Republican camp, majority in the State Parliament, over the Democratic camp . Among them, laws relating to the carrying of weapons, the right to abortion or even the teaching of history in school or even an electoral law, which reduces access to the right to vote for minorities.
We explain to you how Texas has beefed up its legislative arsenal of very conservative texts.
1What laws have come into force in Texas?
Three texts are particularly controversial, starting with the so-called law “heartbeat”, which prohibits voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) after six weeks of pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest. However, many women are still unaware that they are pregnant at this stage.
Before Texas, twelve American states, including Mississippi and Alabama, have already adopted similar laws. This text “goes much further“, estimates Tamara Boussac, lecturer at the University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, specialist in American civilization, contacted by franceinfo.
The Supreme Court, seized urgently by defenders of the right to abortion, refused Thursday to rule on the constitutionality of the law, invoking “complex and novel procedural issues”. In question, the unprecedented nature of the text, the application of which relies on citizens, encouraged to take legal action against any person or organization that would help a woman to have an abortion. They can thus receive up to 10,000 dollars in compensation in the event of a conviction. A call “pernicious” to denunciation, criticized President Joe Biden.
The text which has just entered into force has not yet given rise to any trial. The Supreme Court expects “that a court decision be taken to decide”explains Tamara Boussac. “For the moment, that would be tantamount to ruling on a void”continues Jean-Eric Branaa, lecturer at Panthéon-Assas University.
Texas has also allowed the carrying of an apparent firearm without a license, for all citizens over the age of 21. The text is criticized by Democrats and gun control advocates, who fear an increase in shootings, while Texas was bereaved by the El Paso massacre, which left 22 dead, in August 2019.
Finally, an extensive electoral law came into force, which officially aims to make elections more secure, in particular by prohibiting “drive-in” voting and by introducing numerous restrictions on voting times and postal voting, who played a crucial role in the last presidential election. For the detractors of this law, this one reduces the access to the vote of the ethnic minorities. “Preventing advance voting means preventing a lot of people from voting, especially the most precarious populations.“, specifies Tamara Boussac.
2In what political and social context do these laws arrive in Texas?
This anti-abortion law comes in a social context where evangelical and anti-abortion activism is increasingly present, especially since the election of Donald Trump, who ardently defended these groups during his mandate.
Texas, governed by conservative Greg Abbott since 2014, is also a historically Republican state, where the party has a majority in both houses. In recent years, however, the state has experienced a demographic change that has favored an increase in the number of Democratic voters, thanks to the vote of the Hispanic communities in particular.
If in 1975, the Latin community represented 22% of the Texan population and 15% of registered voters, today they represent 40% of the population and approximately 20 to 25% of voters, reports NBC News. (in English). In the southern state, local Democratic activists are mobilizing more and more in urban areas such as Austin or Houston, as reported by the FinancialTimes (article in english). The Hispanic group Voto Latino had notably organized a massive campaign of electoral mobilization in the run-up to the presidential election.
“This denotes a certain emergency for elected Republicans, who fear that the Democrats will become more and more powerful.”
Tamara Boussacat franceinfo
“Elected Republicans want to show that they are still the ones who set the tone and who regulate daily life“, explains Lauric Henneton, lecturer at the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin, specialist in American civilization.
3How is Governor Greg Abbott positioning himself nationally?
According to several specialists interviewed, these laws also materialize the presidential ambitions of the Republican governor. Greg Abbott “uses societal issues to mobilize white evangelicals”analyzes Lauric Henneton.
“Abbott prepares his election campaign”, confirms Jean-Eric Branaa. The governor “highlights all the great beliefs that unite American conservatives”continues Tamara Boussac. “Several elected officials want to compete by becoming more conservative than Donald Trump himself”she believes.
The Texas governor joins other great Republican figures, such as Ron De Santis, in Florida, who are also trying to impose themselves to take up the torch from the former president, in the event that he does not run for the White House in 2024.