The Department of Justice (DOJ) late on Tuesday submitted an emergency motion seeking to block a new abortion law in the state of Texas that makes the procedure illegal if a fetal heartbeat is detectable. The filing, submitted to the U.S. District Court in Austin, Texas, comes just days after the department filed a lawsuit against the state over SB8, which went into effect on Sept. 1. The DOJ argued on Tuesday that the measure was passed “to prevent women from exercising their constitutional rights.” “This attempt to shield a plainly unconstitutional law from review cannot stand. The United States seeks a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction enjoining the enforcement of S.B. 8,” the DOJ said in their motion. Under the new Texas law, people are authorized to bring lawsuits against doctors who perform illegal abortions and anyone suspected of assisting a pregnant person obtain an abortion. Plaintiffs who …