Was today's SCOTUS ruling on Texas abortion laws good for health care safety standards? | The Tylt
The Supreme Court just struck down a Texas law that looked as though it would close three-quarters of the state’s abortion clinics by putting new requirements on facilities and doctors. There were two provisions of the Texas law (known as HB2) at issue: the first required doctors at abortion clinics to have local admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The second required all clinics to upgrade their facilities to hospital-grade standards. Nearly half of the clinics in Texas have already closed since the law was imposed in 2013 because they were unable to meet the new legal criteria. Texas legislators claimed the HB 2 laws were implemented to better patient safety, while opponents said the real aim was to severely reduce Texas women's access to abortion.
Was today's SCOTUS ruling on Texas abortion laws good for American safety standards in healthcare?
The 5-3 ruling is the court’s first abortion decision in almost a decade, and abortion-rights advocates are calling it the most consequential Supreme Court ruling on this issue since 1992, when the court reaffirmed a constitutional right to end a pregnancy.
Reproductive rights groups applauded the ruling, claiming that Texas lawyers never proved the HB2 laws protected women's safety in any way.
Antiabortion groups are sharply criticizing the decision as a serious blow to the pro-life movement and to healthcare regulation. They believe abortion is murder and are opposed to it in almost all circumstances; they also say that HB2 laws were designed to reduce women's health risks and increase safety.
Was today's ruling good for American health care standards and women's safety?
