In a historic ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States has overturned a Texas abortion law and declared it unconstitutional.
The case was decided by a 5-3 vote on June 27 by the Supreme Court. The decision is expected to have repercussions throughout the country, as several states have similar laws that are currently being blocked or are in effect.
The law had required clinics that provide abortions services to have surgical facilities and doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. If upheld, it was predicted that the law would close many clinics, further reducing the availability of abortion services in Texas.
These restrictive measures made it even more difficult for women to obtain access to abortion services, leaving …show more content…
This lack of care would mean that 900,000 women would be required to travel more than 300 miles round-trip in order to find a clinic that provides abortion services, which is both time consuming and costly.
Despite being previously upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court ruled that the law provided an undue burden on nearly one million women in the areas affected, and was therefore unconstitutional. Justice Stephen Breyer stated in the decision that the restrictions, "vastly increase the obstacles confronting women seeking abortions in Texas without providing any benefit to women's health capable of withstanding any meaningful scrutiny."
Justice Breyer noted the numerous safety requirements that are already compulsory for clinics providing abortion services, and compared the rates of similar surgical procedures with higher mortality rates that are less restricted:
"Nationwide, childbirth is 14 times more likely than abortion to result in death ... but Texas law allows a midwife to oversee childbirth in the patient's own home. Colonoscopy, a procedure that typically takes place outside a hospital (or surgical center) setting, has a mortality rate 10 times higher than an
The case was decided by a 5-3 vote on June 27 by the Supreme Court. The decision is expected to have repercussions throughout the country, as several states have similar laws that are currently being blocked or are in effect.
The law had required clinics that provide abortions services to have surgical facilities and doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. If upheld, it was predicted that the law would close many clinics, further reducing the availability of abortion services in Texas.
These restrictive measures made it even more difficult for women to obtain access to abortion services, leaving …show more content…
This lack of care would mean that 900,000 women would be required to travel more than 300 miles round-trip in order to find a clinic that provides abortion services, which is both time consuming and costly.
Despite being previously upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court ruled that the law provided an undue burden on nearly one million women in the areas affected, and was therefore unconstitutional. Justice Stephen Breyer stated in the decision that the restrictions, "vastly increase the obstacles confronting women seeking abortions in Texas without providing any benefit to women's health capable of withstanding any meaningful scrutiny."
Justice Breyer noted the numerous safety requirements that are already compulsory for clinics providing abortion services, and compared the rates of similar surgical procedures with higher mortality rates that are less restricted:
"Nationwide, childbirth is 14 times more likely than abortion to result in death ... but Texas law allows a midwife to oversee childbirth in the patient's own home. Colonoscopy, a procedure that typically takes place outside a hospital (or surgical center) setting, has a mortality rate 10 times higher than an