Supreme Court Ruling Will Keep Several Texas Abortion Clinics Up and Running

The U.S. Supreme Court knocked down a law in Texas that would have made it difficult for several abortion clinics to stay up and running.

According to an Al-Jazeera report, the law would have required Texas abortion clinics to spend millions of dollars on “hospital-level upgrades” so that the facilities would presumably be in top-notch shape for medical procedures.  

But pro-choice activists argued that no such renovations were needed and that the measure was simply a ploy to make it difficult for many abortion clinics—that didn’t have the cash for the upgrades—to stay open.

“In a 9-3 vote, the justices suspended a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed Texas to enforce a rule that would make abortion clinics spend millions of dollars on hospital-level upgrades if they were to remain open,” the news site explains.

A Texas appeals court originally sanctioned the law, but the Supreme Court’s recent decision overrides that earlier ruling.

The Supreme Court ruling also partially blocked a provision that would have required the medical practitioners at an abortion clinic to get clearance to work at a nearby hospital. “The justices’ order also said that a provision requiring abortion practitioners to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic could not be enforced for clinics in McAllen and El Paso, cities near the Mexican border. The provision will be in force in the rest of the state,” according to Al-Jazeera.

Both sides of the reproductive-rights issue have their views about what the Supreme Court ruling means for access, choice and safety. “Abortion rights groups have said the regulations are unnecessary and served as a veiled attempt to shut abortion clinics. Supporters of the law say the rules would reduce complications and improve patient care,” the news site reports.

Read more at Al-Jazeera.