Texas officials suggested Thursday that the Supreme Court must reconsider decades of precedent to protect abortion rights in the event it challenges a Texas law severely restricting the practice.

Separate petitions were brought up to challenge the Texas law that bans all abortions before the sixth week. It is a restrictive Texas law which prohibits many abortions, even though most women do not know that they are pregnant.

Critics claim the law is in violation of the Constitution. It was created to avoid judicial scrutiny and delegate enforcement to private citizens. Civil lawsuits can be filed against any person who aids or abets an abortion.

Texas’ abortion-rights providers and advocates met in Texas last month. asked the Supreme Courtfor their argument against S.B. 8 before final judgment in a lower appeals courtThe law caused “an urgent harm”, according to the court. The court agreed Monday to consider that expedited appeal request

Texas officials responded by saying that the Supreme Court shouldn’t deny the request. However, they noted that argument in this case will be heard next month at the 5th Circuit of Appeals.

Texas is being sued by the Department of Justice over its law. on Monday asked the nine justicesTo vacate an appeals court’s decision to allow the law to stay in effect during litigation. Briefing from the DOJ also requested for its legal challenge being added to court’s calendar to allow for briefings and arguments this term.

Texas replied that the law should be kept in place and claimed that it had no interest in the outcome. This is called standing. Texas countered that “The federal government cannot obtain an abortion. The Constitution doesn’t give it any special rights to defend any preconceived right to abort.” 

According to court orders, responses to each of the petitions had been due Thursday noon. Respondents in each case argued that the court should review the precedents established by Roe v. Wade rulings of 1973 and Planned Parenthood, v. Casey decisions, which are two cases protecting abortion rights prior to fetal viability.

Texas officials stated in their brief that the Supreme Court could accept the rapid-tracked appeal of the abortion rights advocates and “the Court should reconsider Roe & Casey”.

Texas replied to DOJ by saying that it regretted the Court’s recognition of Roe’s right to abortion and its continued preservation in Casey.

The officials stated that if the case reaches its merits, Roe and Casey should be overturned and the Court would hold that SB 8 doesn’t violate the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Roe vs. Abortion: A crucial case is already set for oral argument on Dec. 1. Advocates for abortion rights worry that the court with its conservative 6-3 majority could undermine or repeal these protections.

Last month, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of an emergency attempt to temporarily stop S.B. 8. from being implemented. This ruling did not come from any conclusions about Texas’s constitutionality, as the majority of the opinion stated in their opinion. It was issued just hours after the Sept. 1 law went into effect.