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 The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled last week
that Texas could begin enforcing requirements that clinics have
certain hospital-like settings for surgeries, a regulation that
abortion rights groups said was unnecessary and served as a veiled
attempt to shut clinics.
The groups have said the measures would shutter all but seven
clinics in the state of more than 26 million people, while
supporters said the rules would reduce complications and improve
patient care.
"Many women's constitutional rights will be extinguished before the
appellate process runs its course, and their lives will be
permanently and profoundly altered by the denial of abortion
services," the application filed on behalf of Whole Woman's Health
and other abortion rights groups said.
A lower court in August ruled the "ambulatory surgical center
requirement" unconstitutional, finding it placed an undue burden on
women seeking abortions. Texas officials appealed that ruling.
The requirement was to have gone into effect on Sept. 1. Under it,
clinics would have had to meet a set of building standards ranging
from widening halls to having facilities for certain surgeries that
abortion rights advocates said were unnecessary, especially when an
abortion is medically induced.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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