A national abortion-rights group has filed an appeal with the US Supreme Court. The Center for Reproductive Rights is asking justices to reinstate a lower court’s order that blocks the State of Texas from enforcing its ambulatory surgical center requirements.
They're hoping a SCOTUS appeal will reverse the US 5th Circuit Court’s decision to allow the state to enforce this portion of Texas’ Abortion law while they await a full hearing. Looking at a similar appeal concerning the state’s enforcement of the law’s admitting privileges requirement, this request could prove to be an uphill challenge.
Esha Bhandari is staff attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights and said, “We think this case is different from the admitting privileges case because the impact is so drastic, leaving 7-clinics in such a large state is simply not enough and women’s constitutional rights are at risk.”
Bhandari says their appeal also asks the Supreme Court to allow clinics in McAllen and El Paso to continue to operate without having to comply with not only the state’s ambulatory surgical center requirement but also its hospital admitting privileges requirement.
Bhandari said, “Because they simply cannot do so and women in the Rio Grande Valley face high-levels of economic disadvantage that makes it especially hard for them to travel long distances to other clinics and the same is true for women in West Texas.”
She says they are hoping the court sees that there would be no harm in allowing their clients to remain open while the merits of the case make their way through the court system.
