In a surprise intervention, the US Supreme Court has blocked a Texas abortion law that would have left just eight family planning clinics open in the state, rejecting a previous ruling that shut down most facilities overnight.
Specifically, the Supreme Court suspended on Tuesday a federal
appeals court ruling that allowed Texas to enforce a law that
required abortion clinics to upgrade their facilities to the same
standards mandated for ambulatory surgery centers, according to
the Associated Press.
In its five-line ruling, the court allowed the clinics to stay
open while the case goes through the appeals process, adding:
“The Court of Appeals’ stay order with reference to the
district court’s order enjoying the ambulatory surgical center
requirement is vacated. The application is denied in all other
respects.”
Read More:Court shuts down most Texas abortion clinics overnight
The Supreme Court’s ruling in “Whole Woman’s Health et al. v. Lakey” was in response to an emergency petition filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, asking the court to take immediate action to put the Texas law on hold.
"The Supreme Court’s action Tuesday will allow the reopening of thirteen closed clinics on Wednesday." http://t.co/dLw1bw4q5z#FightBackTX
— NARAL (@NARAL) October 14, 2014
On October 2, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans
ruled in favor of the law that would require all abortion clinics
in Texas to meet the same standards as surgical centers,
including regulations concerning buildings, equipment, and
staffing.
The Texas attorney general argued the law was needed to protect
women’s health. Abortion providers, however, said the regulations
were too costly and unnecessary, and were designed to put them
out of business.
“What we saw last Thursday with the decision by the US Court
of Appeals for the 5th Circuit is unprecedented,” said Nancy
Northup, executive director for the Center for Reproductive
Rights, on the group’s website. “We have never seen the
effect of a law like you see in Texas where you lose 80 percent
of the clinics in a state.”
Read More:Missouri lawmakers override veto, approve 72-hour wait for abortions
The Texas law was enacted last year by the state’s Republican-led
legislature. Before the legislation was passed, there were 41
medical practices licensed to provide abortions in the state. The
law was passed after a marathon filibuster by Democratic Senator
Wendy Davis, which put her under the national spotlight. Davis is
now running for governor in next month’s election.
In August, a federal district court judge in Texas ruled that the
regulations imposed an unconstitutional burden on women seeking
abortions.
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