HOUSTON – In a 5-3 decision issued this morning, the Supreme Court determined that Texas’s anti-abortion law, also known as HB2, imposed an undue and therefore unconstitutional burden on women seeking abortion care.
Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas, had this response:
“We are extremely pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision. But the fight to protect abortion access isn’t over. State legislatures around the country have passed hundreds of anti-abortion measures since 1973 and Texas lawmakers have been responsible for more than 18 of those. They’ve forced women to undergo unnecessary ultrasounds, face mandatory delays and make extra, unnecessary visits to medical clinics that in many cases were hundreds of miles away. They’ve even passed legislation that forces doctors to lie to their own patients. There is no reason to believe they will give up trying to deny women access to abortion care now and going forward we will continue the fight to make sure that right is protected.”
Rebecca L. Robertson, legal and policy director for the ACLU of Texas, had this statement:
“This morning’s historic ruling constitutes a huge victory not only for the women of Texas but for women all around the country who live in states that have tried to restrict access to safe and legal abortion care. In rejecting HB2, the Supreme Court affirmed what we’ve been saying since the Texas legislature passed the law in 2013: HB2 imposed an undue and unconstitutional burden on Texas women. This was never about health care.”
