WASHINGTON, DC.–
Supreme Court halts pro-life law
The Texas law requires abortion clinics to be within thirty miles of a hospital so that a patient with an emergency could be transported to a nearby surgical center. The District Court ruled the law unconstitutional as an undue burden on a woman’s right to choose under the Fourteenth Amendment.
During the time it was enforced, the law succeeded in shutting down fourteen abortion clinics in the state and preventing an estimated 9,900 abortions, cutting abortions in Texas by 13 percent.
The Court of Appeals permitted the state to continue enforcing its law until the case was resolved.
The Supreme Court overruled, meaning that the law cannot be enforced in the meantime. With three dissenting justices, the Court ruled that the state will have to allow the fourteen abortion clinics to reopen until the case is finally resolved.
The Court has not yet determined when or if the entire case will be settled on its merits. Until then, Texas will reopen its abortion clinics and leave its law unenforced.