On Friday, the United States Supreme Court announced it will hear a major case on abortion, the first time the court has tackled the topic since 2007.
The case involves a Texas law that closed the majority of abortion clinics throughout the state. The Texas Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that law but now the Supreme Court will rule whether it is constitutional after abortion providers appealed the circuit court's decision.
Most Texas clinics closed after 2013 law passed that forced doctors to have admission status at a local hospital and have the clinic itself adhere to "ambulatory surgical center" standards.
"If allowed to take effect, the Fifth Circuit's decision would cause profound and irreparable harm to the rights, health, and dignity of women throughout Texas, the second most populous state in the nation," those bringing the suit wrote in a brief obtained by SCOTUS blog. "They would delay or prevent thousands of women from obtaining abortions and lead some to resort to unsafe or illegal methods of ending an unwanted pregnancy."
The legal battle is Whole Woman's Health, Austin Women's Health Center, Killen women's Health Center, Nova Health Systems, Sherwood C. Lynn Jr. M.D., Pamela J. Richter, D.O., Lendol L. Davis, M.D. on behalf of their patients versus Kirk Cole, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, Mari Robinson, executive director of the Texas Medical Board.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Polly Mosendz is a breaking news reporter for Newsweek. She was previously a staff writer for The Wire and associate ... Read more
