Abortion Battle Shifts From Legislature to Court
The battle over Texas’ controversial new abortion law will hit the courtroom Monday as part of a legal challenge seeking to squash elements of the Republican-led mandate that sparked mass protests at the Legislature over the summer.
Three groups will argue in federal court here that new standards requiring abortion providers to gain admitting privileges at local hospitals and restricting the use of abortion-inducing drugs are unconstitutional and an undue burden on women.
Collectively, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union plan to call a total of five witnesses, provide written testimony from three experts and a present a flurry of data and documents to make their case, according to court filings issued Friday.
Attorney General Greg Abbott’s legal team will defend the abortion measure on behalf of the state, arguing that the new law is sound and the three groups suing don’t have standing to wage a legal challenge. Abbott’s team has said in court documents it will refrain from calling live witnesses, making its entire case dependent on written testimony from eight experts.
The courtroom showdown in Austin is expected to last two days and is the product of weeks of rancorous and partisan fighting at the Legislature, which in July passed some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country.
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