Supreme Court justices in Texas ruled this week to leave in effect the requirement that abortion clinics maintain hospital admitting privileges. Texas abortion clinics say the requirement will force more than a third of abortion clinics in the state to stop providing abortions.
In their plea to the Supreme Court, representatives from Planned Parenthood and several Texas abortion clinics said that “in just the few short days since the injunction was lifted, over one-third of the facilities providing abortions in Texas have been forced to stop providing that care and others have been forced to drastically reduce the number of patients to whom they are able to provide care. Already, appointments are being canceled and women seeking abortions are being turned away.”
The justices were sharply divided on the issue: the vote was 5–4. Justice Stephen Breyer said he expects the issue to return to the Supreme Court after the case completes its appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. A report by USA Today said Texas women undergo an average of 80,000 abortions a year.
