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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana and Ohio have authored an amicus brief filed Wednesday in a case before the Supreme Court of the United States asking it to uphold Texas’ abortion clinic surgical standards.
The brief, joined by 21 other states, wants the nation’s highest court to affirm the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the Texas law. The law requires doctors who perform surgical abortions to have privileges or agreements to send their patients to a full hospital within 30 miles in case of an emergency, and requires surgical abortion clinics to have the same facilities as a surgical center. The petitioners in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, 15-274, argued the Texas law is unconstitutional.
The states support Texas and its authority to regulate medical procedures within its borders. The amicus brief notes that many states regulate abortion procedures similar to Texas and such state statutes might be in jeopardy if the Supreme Court were to rule for the petitioners.
The participating states are Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Arguments are scheduled for March 2 in the case. Many groups have filed amicus briefs in the matter, including the New York City Bar Association, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
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