A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has
upheld some of the most onerous parts of a Texas abortion law, which is
likely to cause most of the state's abortion clinics to close,
The ruling,
released Tuesday, allowed provisions requiring clinics to meet
hospital-level operating standards and requiring providers to have
admitting privileges at local hospitals to go into effect. It did exempt
the last open clinic in the state's Rio Grande Valley from the
provisions, which were passed by the Republican-controlled state
legislature and signed by former Gov. Rick Perry (R) two years ago. In
court, attorneys opposing the law said it could close all but eight
clinics in Texas.
"In plain terms, H.B. 2 and its provisions may
be applied throughout Texas, except that Supreme Court precedent
requires us to partially uphold the district court’s injunction of the
[ambulatory surgical center] requirement as applied to the Whole Woman’s
Health abortion facility in McAllen, Texas, and to uphold the district
court’s injunction of the admitting privileges requirement as applied to
Dr. Lynn when he is working at the McAllen facility," the ruling read.
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