In the most significant victory for abortion rights in a generation, the Supreme Court has struck down provisions of a sweeping anti-choice law in Texas. Justice Anthony Kennedy joined Stephen Breyer and all three women on the court, striking down the restrictions as an undue burden on access to abortion. The lead plaintiff in the case, Amy Hagstrom Miller of Whole Woman’s Health, celebrated the ruling outside the Supreme Court.
Amy Hagstrom Miller: “From day one, Whole Woman’s Health rejected HB 2’s insulting premise, and we fought back. We took on the bully politicians, and we’ve struggled every day since then against anti-choice, regressive politics and our opposition’s best efforts to shut us down. And we won. Today we make history, and tomorrow we get back to work, so that every woman who seeks abortion services can get the healthcare she deserves, with the dignity and respect that we all deserve.”
The Texas Legislature passed the sweeping anti-choice law in 2013 despite a people’s filibuster and an 11-hour stand by Texas State Senator Wendy Davis. The Supreme Court’s ruling strikes down provisions requiring abortion clinics to meet the costly standards of hospital-style surgery centers, and mandating that doctors obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Already, about half of Texas’ more than 40 abortion clinics have closed. If the court had allowed the provisions to go into full effect, advocates warned it would have left Texas with about 10 clinics clustered in four metropolitan areas. We’ll be joined by the lead plaintiff in Monday’s historic Supreme Court case, Amy Hagstrom Miller, after headlines.