Texas lawsuit explained: How a man is suing his ex-wife’s friends for murder over her abortion.

One aim is certainly to set a precedent that helps isolate pregnant people through terror and surveillance. The fear of winding up ensnared in a multi-million dollar lawsuit that ruins the lives of one's closest friends is certainly a good motivator. Mitchell, Cain, and the Thomas More lawyers want all pregnant Texans to understand that they are being watched —in this case, by a vindictive ex—and will be reported to the state if they seek to terminate a pregnancy. They are never safe from men who will wield litigation as a tool to punish women who attempt to escape a manipulative partner. This is spousal abuse via lawsuit. Indeed, in 1992, the Supreme Court refused to allow for mandatory spousal notification precisely because it could be used as a cudgel to abuse and torment women. SCOTUS reversed that decision when it overruled Roe, though, and this complaint is the inevitable result of that reversal: It attempts to assert that every husband now be granted the right to terrorize pregnant people and bankrupt their friends. 

Another, related goal is to make it clear that anyone offering advice about abortion may be bankrupted in a court of law. Their texts can and will be used against them, and they will be defamed as "murderers" in a highly public lawsuit. Silva's legal team wants to ensure that everyone is too terrified to help vulnerable pregnant people with legal advice, information, and assistance. They want to transform Texas—and, eventually, the rest of the country—into a surveillance state where friends and family are too frightened to discuss abortion for fear of being snitched upon and destroyed in court.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/03/texas-lawsuit-suing-friends-explained.html