The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled that a controversial piece of pro-life legislation from Texas–which is credited with slashing abortions by 13%, and closing a number of abortion clinics statewide–should be allowed to stand.
House Bill 2, which was signed into law by then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry, doesn’t actively target abortion clinics: it just makes sure they’re meeting the same safety standards as other Ambulatory Surgical Centers and requires abortionists to be actual doctors with admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Which makes sense, considering an abortion is a complicated surgical procedure that, if it has to happens at all, should require basic safety standards and a competent doctor, like any surgery.
And, after all, Democrats support abortion because they want what’s best for “women’s health,” right?
Except, no: Democrats predictably had a fit over the law.
Their ludicrous argument was that, by mandating actual safety standards to bring abortion clinics in line with other medical providers, Texas was creating an “undue burden on women.”
Right.
In practice, House Bill 2 did shut down a number of abortion clinics because they didn’t meet safety standards. But the clinics that were shut down were, by the very nature of this law, substandard.
Unfortunately, this case isn’t over yet–it’s expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
That makes the stakes incredibly high: depending on which way the Supreme Court ultimately rules, that could have dramatic impact for the future of abortion in America–and could dramatically change how a state is able to demand safety standards for medical facilities.
