Lawsuits have been lodged against Texas doctor who flouted fetal heartbeat abortion ban

Two people have separately lodged lawsuits against the Texas physician who announced in a recent opinion piece that he violated a state law that prohibits conducting abortion procedures after a fetal heartbeat has been detected.

However, the lawsuits are not being waged by pro-lifers who want to stamp out the practice of abortion.

The state law allows people to lodge a civil action against anyone who conducts or induces an abortion in breach of the law. It also allows for a civil action against those who knowingly participate in activity that "aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion" conducted in violation of the law, irrespective of whether the individual knew that the abortion would be carried out in breach of the law.

Claimants who succeed in an action will be awarded statutory damages of not less than $10,000, according to the state law, which took effect on Sept. 1 and includes an exception for medical emergencies.