NYT & Cntr for Repro Rights: Court Panel Upholds Texas Law on Abortion
Court Panel Upholds Texas Law on Abortion -NYT
A federal appeals panel on Thursday upheld a Texas law that has forced several abortion clinics in the state to shut down, saying the law did not pose an “undue burden” on women’s rights.
The decision was not unexpected because the appeals court, in New Orleans, is considered conservative and had previously signaled that it was likely to find the law constitutional.
The ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit was a victory for anti-abortion groups and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, a Republican who said the measure, requiring clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, would protect patients without imposing serious hardships.
Texas clinic owners said the requirement — one of several abortion restrictions adopted last year — was a thinly disguised effort to hamper women’s access to abortions.
03.27.14 - (PRESS RELEASE) Failing to protect the lives and health of thousands of Texas women with virtually no access to safe and legal abortion services, today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a federal district court order blocking a provision of HB2 that has forced abortion providers across the state to stop providing abortions or close altogether since October 2013.
Today’s decision will continue to force doctors that perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital, with the very narrow exception for any physician who is still in the process of applying for privileges—but would do nothing for those physicians if they are ultimately denied.