The Supreme Court Squashes Texas Laws Limiting Access to Abortions

The law was clearly intended to make it more difficult to obtain an abortion in Texas—and it did. Since it was passed, more than half of clinics in the state closed.

The law was challenged and made its way up to the Supreme Court, which found that HB2 placed an undue burden on women seeking an abortion, a constitutional right granted by Roe v. Wade in 1973.

“Before HB2’s passage, abortion was an extremely safe procedure with very low rates of complications and virtually no deaths,” the Supreme Court ruling said. “It was also safer than many more common procedures not subject to the same level of regulation; and the cost of compliance with the surgical-center requirement would most likely exceed $1.5 million to $3 million per clinic.”

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The ruling also pointed out that, after clinics were forced to close due to HB2, the number of women of reproductive age who live more than 50 miles from an abortion clinic has doubled, the number living more than 100 miles away has increased by 150 percent, and the number of women living more than 200 miles away increased “by about 2,800 percent.” 

“Today is a great day for women, for our commitment to our Constitution, and for the values of freedom and dignity that all Americans hold dear,” Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said in a statement. “The Supreme Court has powerfully reaffirmed a woman’s constitutional right to make her own decisions about her health, family, and future, no matter her zip code. This decision brings us one step closer to a world in which all women are empowered to exercise their reproductive freedom—including the right to a safe and legal abortion, which is supported by seven in 10 Americans.”

While the ruling is considered a win for women, unfortunately other states have similarly restrictive rules that make it costly and nearly impossible for women to obtain an abortion in their home state. Hopefully the strike-down of HB2 will make other states think twice before attempting to move forward with laws that so clearly challenge the reproductive rights of women.