On June 27, 2016, the US Supreme Court struck down a 2013 Texas law that added new restrictions to the state’s abortion regulations such as requiring doctors to have admitting privileges in local hospitals and requiring abortion clinics to have the same building standards as ambulatory surgical centers. The US Supreme Court found, in a 5-3 decision, that the Texas law violated the constitution by placing unjustified burdens on women’s access to abortion.
US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the majority opinion that neither of the provisions of the Texas law “confers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes. Each places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion, each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access… and each violates the Federal Constitution.” In a concurring opinion, US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that “it is beyond rational belief that H. B. 2 [the Texas law] could genuinely protect the health of women… When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners… at great risk to their health and safety.”
According to Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, the Supreme Court ruling in the Texas case “has essentially relegated women to second-class citizens when it comes to abortion by allowing abortionists to evade meeting basic safety standards that are proven to save lives… We must remember why these safety rules were enacted. When abortion facilities are exempt from meeting safety standards, conditions and practices deteriorate and women are placed in jeopardy.”
After the Supreme Court published its decision in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case, President Obama released a statement praising the decision, writing that he was “pleased to see the Supreme Court protect women’s rights and health today… We remain strongly committed to the protection of women’s health, including protecting a woman’s access to safe, affordable health care and her right to determine her own future.”
Of the 2016 presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, Bernie Sanders, and Jill Stein, all believe that abortion should remain legal. Donald Trump believes that abortion should no longer be a legal option in the United States.
(via Texas Abortion Law Ruled Unconstitutional by US Supreme Court)
Source: procon.org
