The Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear arguments against a law that would bring the amount of abortion clinics in Texas down to 10, the New York Times reports.
The law puts restrictions on abortion clinics that many just can’t meet, forcing them to close. Restrictions include doctors having admitting privileges at a local hospital, and being licensed as an ambulatory surgical center, which is extremely expensive. Since the law was passed in 2013, more and more clinics have had to close their doors.
The main issue in the case is whether these restrictions place “an undue burden” on a woman’s constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. If the court decides they do, Texas will have to scale back the law and women (especially poor women who live in rural areas) will have much easier access to abortion. If court decides the restrictions are constitutional, more states will start passing laws like the one Texas has now.
There’s a very good argument that the restrictions exist more to shut down abortion clinics than to save lives—While proponents say they’re trying to protect women’s health during the procedure, Jezebel reports that abortion is one of the safest medical procedures available.
Whole Woman’s Health, the lead plaintiff in the case the Supreme Court will be hearing, released a statement on their website from their founder and CEO, Amy Hagstrom Miller.
“Today, my heart is filled with hope,” Hagstrom Miller wrote. “Although this is the first step in a much longer process, I am hopeful that the Supreme Court will uphold the rights that have been in place for four decades and reaffirm that every woman should be able to make her own decision about continuing or ending a pregnancy.”
Every woman should have the right to safe and legal abortion, and they shouldn’t have to travel hundreds of miles to do so or have to wait for weeks after they’ve already made a decision. Hopefully the Supreme Court will realize that, as the decision they make will have a major impact on abortion rights in the U.S.
The court will most likely hear the case in March. Let’s hope they will protect a woman’s right to make her own choices.
photo credit: Equal Justice Under Law via photopin (license)