Most abortion clinics in Texas will be forced to close under court ruling
Nearly two-thirds of abortion clinics in Texas must close immediately after a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the state could enforce its law requiring those facilities to be built to the same stringent standards as hospitals.
The requirement is part of a sweeping piece of legislation called House Bill 2, which includes several measures that undermine women’s access to abortion. The mandate was struck down in late August by a federal judge in Austin, who ruled that it was unconstitutional because it put an undue burden on women seeking healthcare. He put the requirement on hold while the state appealed.
But on Thursday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out U.S. District Court Judge Lee Yeakel’s injunction, which allowed Texas’ estimated 20 abortion clinics to continue operating during the appeals process. Without that injunction, only seven or eight clinics will remain in business.
The New Orleans-based 5th Circuit said the central question it considered was “whether the state has shown a likelihood of success” in fighting Yeakel’s ruling “regarding whether the ambulatory surgical center provision is unconstitutional. We conclude that it has.” The panel repeatedly criticized Yeakel’s decision as “unclear” and “confusing.”
more:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-texas-abortion-20141002-story.html
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