Long Beach’s federal representatives-Congress members Janice Hahn and Alan Lowenthal-expressed support for the Supreme Court ruling that effectively struck down the Texas law that could have reduced the number of abortion clinics to roughly 10, from a high of 40.
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It’s being called the most important ruling on abortion rights since Roe v. Wade in 1973.
A restrictive Texas law restricting abortion is plainly unconstitutional, but politics has trumped the Constitution in the Supreme Court before.
The decision was a loss for Texas and anti-abortion forces but a decisive victory for supporters of abortion rights.
Other states are now reviewing the status of their own restrictions in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.
Indiana Right to Life President Mike Fichter said the court “showed an utter disregard for women’s health” with Monday’s decision. It is offensive to me as a woman that we should establish a set standards for minimally invasive outpatient surgery, but not apply those same sound and widely accepted medical standards to safeguard the health of women undergoing invasive abortion procedures. They specifically held that an admitting privileges requirement for abortion providers and a burdensome surgical center facility requirement constitute undue burdens on a woman’s right to choose abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court reached a similar conclusion in its ruling on the Texas law on Monday.
“I am beyond elated”, Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, which operates four abortion clinics in Texas and spearheaded the challenge to the law. The other required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges to nearby hospitals. Justices Stephen Bryer, Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan ruled to strike the decision down.
Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing that the court’s abortion jurisprudence is fundamentally misguided.
“They will have a much more hard time in the future even getting anywhere with these laws”, she said. “The admitting privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women”.
The ruling won’t technically have a direct effect on those living in the Scenic City, since Chattanooga hasn’t seen an abortion clinic, or a planned parenthood location, in more than two decades.
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“It’s not just about abortion, it’s about women’s healthcare in general”, Molina said.
