Texas Abortion Laws Go Before Supreme Court

Abortion advocates are hoping that the absence of Antonin Scalia will help them loosen regulations that they claim have forced dozens of Texas clinics to close their doors. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court took up the case of Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, and their decision could have major ramifications on how far state legislators can go in regulating abortion clinics. At issue are Texas laws that mandate these clinics meet the same standards as other surgical centers and require abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

“Abortion care is healthcare,” said Heather Busby of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas. “And it is our right.”

Busby and other abortion supporters claim the Texas laws are excessive and aimed only at making it more difficult for women to exercise their right to choose. But attorneys for the Alliance for Defending Freedom say there’s no reason that an abortion clinic should be exempt from common sense regulations.

“Abortion facilities don’t get a pass and should be held to the same standards and regulations that other health services have to follow,” said attorney Kerri Kupec.

Scalia’s death has left the court divided along ideological lines, and that makes a 4-4 split the most likely outcome. Unless Justice Kennedy sides with the court’s liberals, there’s a good chance that nothing will be resolved. That would essentially leave the Texas laws in place for now, but it would leave the issue of regulations in doubt until another case comes along.

For conservatives and pro-life advocates, the case highlights why it’s so important to prevent President Obama from replacing Scalia with a typical liberal. When and if the Democrats load the court with an unbreakable majority, it will be open season on basic morality, gun rights, religious freedom, and every other cultural and constitutional value we hold dear. Meanwhile, more power than ever will flow away from the states and into the federal government, putting millions of Americans at the mercy of the Washington elite.

As for abortion specifically, a liberal majority on the court would expand women’s “rights” to this form of “healthcare” to such an extent that today’s ghastly statistics would be an improvement. And with state regulators forbidden from encroaching on this “right,” we would see millions of women pushed to make a decision that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.