How Texas Abortion Law Turns Public Into Enforcers: QuickTake

The strictest abortion law in the U.S. took effect on Sept. 1 in Texas. Designed to protect fetuses from the moment a heartbeat is detected, the law is seen by abortion-rights supporters as an end-run around Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide -- and a possible blueprint for other states to make policy by encouraging neighbors to sue each other.

1. What does the Texas law do?

It prohibits a physician from performing an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, something that generally occurs around six weeks after conception -- which is ...