VICTORY! SCOTUS Rules 5-3 In Favor Of Texas Abortion Case

by Robyn Smith June 27, 2016

Robyn Smith June 27, 2016

A mighty victory for abortion rights advocates has happened this morning! The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Whole Woman’s Health — a case over a 2013 law that shut down all but nine abortion clinics that we broke down for you here on why it’s such an inconvenience to rural women and women who live on the borders of Texas, or anyone who doesn’t live in a big city. Just last year, 10 clinics would have immediately closed, leaving just nine centers doing the work of what used to be over 40, according to Vox.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, Founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, had this to say in light of the ruling:

“I am beyond elated. Every day Whole Woman’s Health treats our patients with compassion, respect and dignity—and with this historic decision, today the Supreme Court did the same. We’re thrilled that justice was served and our clinics stay open. After years of fighting heartless, anti-abortion Texas politicians who would seemingly stop at nothing to push abortion out of reach, I want everyone to understand: you don’t mess with Texas, you don’t mess with Whole Woman’s Health, and you don’t mess with this beautiful, powerful movement of people dedicated to reproductive health, rights, and justice.”

Because of this ruling, the Texas law has been overturned, having been deemed as putting an unnecessary burden on women. In five years prior to the law, there were no deaths related to abortions, making the multi-million dollar surgical equipment unnecessary as well as unaffordable for many clinics. Also, with only nine clinics remaining open, a geographical area larger than California would be without abortion services, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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