Arguments will be heard this month over a lower court's ruling on key provisions of controversial Texas abortion laws. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear opening remarks this month in New Orleans. In a 2-1 decision the court has already allowed the laws to go into effect.
Staff Reporter
Of interest are two provisions of H.B. 2 passed by the Texas legislature in 2013. These provisions would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic, as well as requiring centers to meet the minimum standards of ambulatory surgical centers, effectively shutting down more than half of Texas abortion clinics.
A San Antonio district court stayed these provisions of the law calling them unconstitutional as they “place an undue burden” on women seeking an abortion. This is a key part of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. The district court opined that the law would "create a brutally effective system of abortion regulation."
The law would close all but six abortion centers in Texas. These centers would be located in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin, as they are the only centers in the state that would be able to meet the requirements set forth in the new law.
The result of this could be that more than 900,000 Texas women would live farther than 150 miles from the nearest clinic. If the clinics in McAllen and El Paso are allowed to close, it would leave no clinics west or south of San Antonio.
If the law is challenged before the Supreme Court it could have a nationwide impact, possibly requiring all abortion clinics across the country to comply with the new regulations.