Though the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down a far-reaching Texas anti-abortion law because it placed an undue burden on a woman’s constitutional rights, state lawmakers here are already plotting a course for new rules that could limit the practice of abortion….
Advertisement
In a 5-3 vote June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down restrictions on Texas abortion clinics that required them to comply with standards of ambulatory surgical centers and required their doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals.
“Abortionists shouldn’t be given a free pass to elude medical requirements that everyone else is required to follow”, Steven H. Aden, a senior counsel at the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement after the decision.
An abortion-rights lawyer, Sue Frietsche, said the law inflicted heavy financial burdens on abortion clinics throughout Pennsylvania and contributed to the closure of several of them.
But in Florida, supporters of recent laws requiring more stringent standards for abortion providers say the high court ruling should have no impact.
We have reasonable proximity, which is what weve had in law for a very long time with regards to all other clinics, and were doing abortion clinics the same way, she said.
But before we get too far into discussing the ruling’s implications, we must understand how the case reached the Court to begin with.
The Texas bishops similarly said the ruling “puts women at grave risk” and said the goal of the state regulations was to ensure women’s safety, noting: “their lives are just as precious as those of their children”.
On the other side of the debate, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards hailed the ruling as “an enormous victory for women”, and joined her abortion-rights allies in vowing to quickly seek gains beyond Texas.
The court has affirmed the meaning of the “undue burden” standard, and that should spell doom for any law whose sole aim is to make getting an abortion more hard.
Justice Alito, jointed by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas, resorted to bomb analogies of a rather severe sort.
Hes involved with a challenge to a 2015 law, requiring a 24-hour wait before women can obtain an abortion.
And on Monday, Alabama’s attorney general announced he was dropping legal appeals to uphold a similar law in that state.
Mississippi’s law would have closed the lone abortion clinic in the state, in Jackson.
If the admitting privilege requirement was enforced, as many as four of the state’s five abortion clinics could close.
“They wouldn’t need to challenge if they continue to maintain their hospital-admitting privileges”, Stenehjem said.
Parker tells The Associated Press that some hospitals ignored applications for admitting privileges for abortion clinic physicians, and others said “we were not consistent with their mission”. Supporters claim they’re meant to protect women’s health and safety, but critics point out that abortion is one of the safest medical procedures, with fewer than one-half of 1 percent of procedures resulting in serious complications.
Advertisement
Dr. Kermit Gosnell in May 2013 was found guilty of murder in the deaths of three babies born alive during abortions in his Philadelphia clinic.
