Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria Baston and P!nk were among those criticising the “fetal heartbeat” bill, which outlaws abortions beyond around six weeks – before many women even know they are pregnant.

“It’s pretty simple. We should all be able to make decisions about our health [and] future,” tweeted “Desperate Housewives” star Longoria Baston.

“But between the extreme abortion ban [and] states passing a record number of abortion restrictions this year, we have to fight for everyone’s reproductive freedom.”

Under the hashtag #BansOffOurBodies, actress and producer Reese Witherspoon tweeted: “I stand with the women of Texas who have the constitutional right to make decisions about their health and their own bodies.”

Singer P!nk said: “I stand in solidarity with people in [Texas] who, as of today, face an extreme 6-week abortion ban.

“This ban will be the blueprint for bans across the US. Unless we do something about it.”

The celebrity reactions were among a flood of responses after the US Supreme Court declined to block the bill at the eleventh hour. While similar laws have passed in a dozen Republican-led conservative states, all had been stymied in the courts.

The Texas law makes no exceptions for rape or incest. The only exception is if there is a danger to the woman’s health.