On Monday the highest court in the U.S. overturned a Texas law that would have significantly restricted access to abortions. If the law were to go into effect, three quarters of the state’s clinics would likely close for not meeting the requirements: employing doctors with admitting privileges at local hospitals and meeting standards for surgical centers.
The law was proposed to allegedly ensure the safety of women undergoing abortions, but Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made a great point in her written opinion about the lack of similar restrictions on more dangerous operations: “Many medical procedures, including childbirth, are far more dangerous to patients, yet are not subject to ambulatory surgical center or hospital admitting-privileges requirements.”
The decision doesn’t just affect Texas. It will likely end similarly restrictive laws in 12 other states, greatly increasing women’s accessibility to abortion clinics nationwide.
