The Nation's Most Conservative Court Just Shut Down Two-Thirds of Texas Abortion Clinics

[Novara]

The Nation's Most Conservative Court Just Shut Down Two-Thirds of Texas Abortion Clinics

Federal judges upheld a sweeping anti-abortion law on Tuesday in a decision that will shutter most abortion clinics in Texas.

The ruling held that the law, HB 2, which requires abortion facilities to comply with hospital-like standards, does not pose an undue burden for the majority of women seeking abortion in Texas, millions of whom will now have to travel hundreds of miles for an abortion.

The law calls for clinics to follow the state's rules for ambulatory surgical centers, facilities that are very costly to operate. In 2013, Planned Parenthood opened a brand-new ASC in Forth Worth at a cost of $6.5 million. Only seven abortion clinics in Texas comply with ASC standards; 13 other clinics face imminent closure.

Whole Woman's Health, the plaintiff in the case, vowed to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court and to ask the justices to put the ruling on hold immediately. Unless the Supreme Court steps in, the clinics will be forced to close in 22 days. The case, if it goes before the high court, could result in a definitive ruling on when an abortion restriction is too restrictive and constitutes an "undue burden."

"Not since before Roe v. Wade has a law or court decision had the potential to devastate access to reproductive health care on such a sweeping scale," said Nancy Northrup, the CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents Whole Woman's Health in the lawsuit.

The ruling is a broad victory for Texas on what most consider the most restrictive abortion law in the country: Other provisions of HB 2, which were not a part of Tuesday's ruling, have already closed more than 20 abortion providers across the state. Judges were drawn from the most conservative appeals court in the country, US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio are the only cities which have abortion clinics that comply with the ASC standards If the decision goes into effect, more than 1.3 million women of reproductive age in Texas will live 100 miles or more from the nearest abortion clinic. Three-quarters of a million women will live 200 miles away or more. The westernmost clinic in Texas will be located San Antonio, leaving a swath of Texas 550 miles wide without an abortion provider. El Paso, at the western tip of the state, will become the largest US city without an abortion provider.

Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/06/federal-court-texas-law-will-close-majority-abortion-clinics

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And that's not an undue burden????

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. That sure as hell is an undue burden. Assholes.

I'm starting to think that things can always get worse in Texas. And I know there are many good Texans there...just not enough of them to stop this madness.

[beam me up scottie]

2. And the war on women rages on...

[valerief]

31. By the Gyno Oppression Party. nt

[Aerows]

3. And some people

are worried about "he said/she said" topics when we have actual examples of women that are being marginalized, oppressed, and will be forced to take their lives in their own hands to seek illegal abortions.

Why should a woman be forced to travel out of state, risk her life or go through extreme machinations to end a pregnancy when the woman herself knows full and well she isn't equipped to raise a child?

I'd wager that 90% of such people think nothing of spaying and neutering their pets because they don't want extra pets to feed and care for, but somehow, a woman's life is worth less than having a dog that is aggressive because he isn't neutered.

I know that's a harsh analogy, but think about it. You would spay and neuter your animals, but you would force a woman that isn't equipped to deal with a pregnancy and the subsequent child care necessities to carry the child.

That reduces women to lower than a litter of dogs you can't feed.

[Dustlawyer]

36. And Texas sure as hell doesn't want to feed, provide health care, or educate them, cuz you know,

what would Jesus do? Oh wait! Never mind, do it anyway!

[Aerows]

37. It makes me sick.

I lived in Houston for a while. Texas has some great people, but it has absolutely awful politicians since Ann Richards. She was the only thing keeping it relatively sane.

[Rex]

4. WTFFFFFF!

[SusanCalvin]

5. @$#? nt

[AuntPatsy]

6. I've faced off with some of these idiots in the past, many are like glassy eyed rapid mindless

Animals growling loudly though they truly do not know why......

Foolish and terroristic humans having free reign to hate blindly while ignoring the pain and grief they themselves are responsible for inflicting on others....

[Gloria]

14. You are exactly right...I asked one why I had to follow

Their rules if my religion didn't have those rules...

The creep didn't look at me, kept walking with her head down...

Why??

They should all rot...I despise the pieces of crap. Actually, I hate these hypcrites...

[jwirr]

19. What you have in Texas (and other places) are two religious principles goading each other to

further action against women. The first principle states that God blesses those who do good and punishes those who are bad. This Calvinist idea is called double pre-destination = God loves the good person/God hates the bad. It encourages the idea that the bad are supposed to suffer for their sins. Thus women who want an abortion are supposed to suffer for their actions.

The other principle is the thou shalt not kill idea and this is taken out of the idea that you should not kill living human beings. The rw has applied it to the fetus.

So glassy eyed rabid mindless animals is exactly what we get. The are "true believers" who refuse to accept anything they cannot manufacture out of their own interpretation of the bible. As to the pain and grief - they think that the woman deserves it.

[LiberalLovinLug]

25. Yet most of these pious "pro-life" worshipers

would gladly step in a pull the lever themselves to fry a living human being who was sentenced to death by State Murder.

[jeff47]

7. So why aren't these rules applied to all outpatient surgical procedures?

I'm not in TX, but I've had minor surgeries in doctor's offices. That were not built to hospital standards, and I severely doubt the doctor had admitting privileges - they are a PITA to maintain and not needed if something actually does go wrong. The hospital's doctors will admit.

[greymattermom]

33. that's the answer

What minor outpatient procedure is for men only? That one needs the same rules, right.

[jeff47]

34. Men specifically? Vasectomy. But there's plenty of gender-neutral ones. (nt)

[countryjake]

8. Coming soon, to a state near you.

This type of draconian bullshit is happening all over the country, not just Texas. Such laws set a precedent for the anti-abortion fanatics to use such strategy everywhere they might gain a foothold, in any state of the union.

This is an outrage for all of us, every single woman!

[kairos12]

15. You got that right. Unfortunately.

[countryjake]

16. The most unfortunate thing about this ruling is who will suffer from it.

It'll be the younger women, the abused and battered women, the poor and disadvantaged women, the working class women, all who likely have little resources to spare and have far fewer options than those who are more well-off and can easily travel a few hundred miles for a simple medical procedure.

It's a clear example of how closely tied a social issue is to the economic one.

[jwirr]

21. Friend of mine told me long ago that abortion has always been legal for the rich. Either their own

doctor preforms it in his office or they go where it is legal. The rest of us not so much.

[Novara]

22. There is no "undue burden" for the wealthy

They've always been able to get safe abortions. It's poor women who suffer and are made to carry pregnancies for children they can't support. Then they use social welfare services which means they're a "drain on society," thereby earning more hate from the right wing. It's a perfect storm.

I've never understood why they'd want more poor unwanted children in the world while rich, well-educated folks get to limit their families. How does that really make any sense? Well, it does if you only want a permanent underclass to do your dirty work for you. Somebody's gotta clean the bathrooms.

[countryjake]

26. Raises hand...that's me.

Former housekeeper here, or "toilet technician" as we jokingly call ourselves. I'm semi-retired now as I'm not able to crawl around on my knees so well as I once could, but I still know many other women in the field.

These are the people that we have to bring the point home to, for it is their rights that are being stolen.

[Egnever]

9. Ugh

The thought of this being upheld in the supreme court scares the hell out of me.

[LittleBlue]

10. This must surely go to the Supreme Court

Letting this stand is effectively a court-sanctioned abortion ban.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Yup

[marym625]

11. Thank you!

This is abhorrent. The attack on women in this country has to end.

[the_sly_pig]

13. F Texas.

[countryjake]

27. You can't just say, "Fuck Texas". It's happening all over the nation.

Conservative rethugs are on the move everywhere with much the same strategy as seen with this ruling in Texas.

If we do not recognize this, now, and understand what it will mean for the millions of women who directly suffer from such laws, and, more importantly, get out there and talk to the people whose rights are under attack ...organize... it could be happening in your own state, next (if it isn't already).

[kentauros]

32. You seem to have mistyped.

Let me correct that for you:

[font size="5"]Fuck the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit[/font]

There! Fixed it

[appalachiablue]

17. Patriarchy resurgent. The poorest, most vulnerable women & children will suffer most of course.

Extremist conservatism stinks.

[moondust]

18. Discriminatory.

Rich women will continue to buy plane tickets and go wherever necessary to get whatever they want.

[Prism]

20. They were worried Wisconsin was going to surpass them

They're not even chipping away at rights at this point. They've brought in the bulldozers.

[Novara]

23. They're using a blowtorch

Women are second class citizens.

[KamaAina]

24. Well, there's always Mexico

[Liberal_in_LA]

28. women of Texas.. why do you vote for repubs?

[world wide wally]

29. Is that, by any chance, what you call "ACTIVIST judges"

[Novara]

30. Yeah, but only liberal activist judges are a problem, not conservative ones

It all depends on which side you're on.

[allan01]

35. any of you of the earlier generation remembered these for abortion tools ?

http://www.hangerstore.com/hangers/2-Metal_Hangers/14-Suit_Hanger/92-Metal_Suit_Hanger_with_Chrome_Finish
talk about government interferance in ppls lives .

[Arby]

38. This court exemplifies

an ideological judiciary serving against the will of the people and the common law in pursuit of their idealism ...

[secondwind]

39. I can't imagine that this ruling will stand.

[DreamSmoker]

40. Bump...

Put this in prospective... What if they did this for every Dentist in Texas??? Or how about your private Doctor and his Office requirements?? The could... They don't.. It would not make any sense for them to do that.. But when it come to a Abortion Clinic... This is treated as something so different that really isn't.. It is a Power Play by Politics, Legislators, and the Judges.. Screw the Patients needs... Just like Politics at the highest levels... Nothing but Stop and talk about it so nothing gets done... This turned into a Liberal versus Conservative battle of pure and dirty Politics.. Officials have all the say and control... Patient are left on the outside left powerless...

[YOHABLO]

41. Yep they want to make it harder for women to get an abortion, and then of course they want to cut

all services that would help young mothers in feeding, clothing, and educating their children. hmm what to do.

Yeah, why do women of Texas vote Republican? Answer: they're stupid.