SCOTUS blocks parts of Texas abortion law

The U.S. Supreme Court has stopped Texas from putting certain abortion-clinic restrictions into place that would have significantly reduced the number of clinics operating in the state, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

In August, a U.S. District Court ruling struck down part of a Texas law as unconstitutional. The provision required abortion clinics to meet the same building standards as new ambulatory surgical centers. The court also struck down a regulation that exempted physicians at abortion clinics in El Paso, Texas and McAllen, Texas from having admitting privileges at local hospitals.

The district court ruling was appealed and reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the district court's ruling was reinstated.

The majority of the justices indicated they could not uphold the regulations due to the expenses that would be imposed on abortion clinics through the building requirements. In addition, the court did not support requiring admitting privileges in the two cities where physicians would likely be unable to obtain them, according to the report.

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