It’s one of the biggest blows to the pro-life movement since Roe vs. Wade.
In the court’s largest abortion case in nearly a quarter century, the Supreme Court struck down Texas’ widely replicated regulation of abortion clinics early Monday.
The justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that protested the regulations as a thinly veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get an abortion in the nation’s second-most populous state.
Justice Stephen Breyer’s majority opinion for the court held that the regulations are medically unnecessary and unconstitutionally limit a woman’s right to an abortion.
Texas had argued that its 2013 law and subsequent regulations were needed to protect women’s health. The rules required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery.
Breyer wrote that “the surgical-center requirement, like the admitting privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions and constitutes an ‘undue burden’ on their constitutional right to do so.”
Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined Breyer.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
The 5-3 vote, experts say, proves how important the 2016 presidential election has become. The court needs at least two more conservative justices before there is any chance of it upholding meaningful pro-life legislation.
There is currently one vacancy on the Supreme Court, after the death of Antonin Scalia. And the next president is expected to have the opportunity to make additional appointments as well.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Latest statistic I saw, over 80% that use abortion clinics are unwed blacks usually addicted to drugs. Why do whites insist these unwanted children be brought up in abusive homes, a burden on tax payers all their lives only to grow up racists and blaming white people for their situation. If it bothers you, pray for these souls and thank god it’s not somebody in your family, or you can stand at abortion clinics and offer to take in and raise these children as your own, or maybe you don’t want them either, in which case, mind your own business.
The angry feminist extremists are so happy! Fewer babies are their goal. However, those from Middle Eastern hater cultures and cultures that treat women as second class are having kids in record numbers and perpetuating their disdain for women for many more generations.
No main street, you like all men don’t know any better. Fewer babies is NOT the goal, there is no goal. It is just that if ONE woman needs the procedure, then as women, we need to stand with their decision, not YOURS. It is a women CONSTITUTIONAL right, Don’t tread on them.
@ Alicia: “All men don’t know any better”. Quite a sexist comment.
I wonder if a law were passed in this country requiring “forced abortions” for any woman found pregnant outside of marriage, how many of the same women who now demand their “right” to have an abortion would be demanding the right to have their “baby”? Abortion is not a “Women’s Rights” issue, it is a “Women’s Wrongs” issue. They want “the penis” inside their body, they just don’t want “the fetus” inside their body. Two wrongs don’t make a right. My wise mother taught me that! Grow up ladies and take responsibility for “your” actions.
Well Mike I would think we can have the same forced castration on those men that commit adultery. I bet you won’t be getting into women’s business after that.
Alicia-
Rilly? Apparently, women do NOT commit adultery? What color is the sky in your world?
More to the point, what should happen to WOMEN who commit adultery? Infibulation? Clitorectomy? Stoning to death, like under Shar’ia?
Alicia: Sorry, but in my study of the Constitution I must have missed the part that says murdering your unborn child is your constitutional right. Please tell me where I can find that language.
Ollie, Same place it says that it’s ok to kill someone on death row.
Have the baby aborted at a clinic near a hospital. Is that too damn much to ask
I’m sorry, Alicia that you have no control over yourself. I’m sorry that you have no ability to not get pregnant in spite of many birth control methods. I’m sorry that you have to be treated like a little baby instead of the adult you claim to be. C’mon, Alicia, tie those damned tubes of yours and live like a fool.
Remember that the more kids they have the more that the government gives them monthly for housing, food stamps, medical, etc that the tax payer is paying for and they pay nothing for they are home having more kids.
CUT OUT the government subsidices and they will grow up and not need abortions.
No Arthur it’s about dirty men not having control and raping girls.
Alicia Salinas: If it is a woman’s CONSTITUTIONAL right to have a abortion (I couldn’t find anything specific about this right in reading the Constitution) then I’m sure you will just as forcefully argue the right of American’s to “…Keep and Bear Arms shall not be Infringed” (which is in the Constitution. Semper Fortis
Alicia-
The word “abortion” does not appear in the Constitution; neither does the phrase “women’s health.”
You say that “abortion” is a “Constitutional Right.” Show me.
Anyone with a basic grasp of the English language who first reads the Preamble to the Bill of Rights, then the 9th and 10th Amendments, should have ZERO doubt that unless a power has been EXPRESSLY delegated to the duly sworn agents of the general government who swear fealty to that document, that such as power is KEPT by the States or the People.
SCOTUS has zero jurisdiction over the personal health choices of women. Period. They should have recused themselves, saying “Look, the Constitution gives is NO AUTHORITY over women, period, much less their health choices.”
alicia-
It is a women CONSTITUTIONAL right,
Rilly? Willy and twuly?
The word “abortion” does not exist in the Constitution. Neither do the words “woman” or “women.”
Now, go read the Preamble to the Bill of Rights.
Once you’re done, go read the 9th and 10th Amendments.
Only the most determinedly-obstinate dullard would be unable to see that the Constitution defines and LIMITS what powers general gov’t actors may exercise, and if a power is NOT NAMED, it is retained by the States or the People.
SCOTUS should have recused itself, saying “Sorry; the Constitution grants us ZERO authority over women, women’s rights, or women’s issues.”
If you disagree, please feel free to point out EXACTLY where i’m in error, and any portion of the Constitution says anything REMOTELY like “abortion is a Constitutional right.”
This decision is great, but they didn’t go far enough. You see, I have a son who is 5 1/2 years old and a royal pain in th rear end. He is always in trouble and won’t listen to anyone, so I want to abort him. Now, if they would raise the age to 6 years old, then I could get rid of him once and for all. If they can abort a child that is 7 or 8 months old (from conception), why can’t they raise it to at least 7 or 8 months of age. If they did that and people got used to the idea, maybe it could be raised to age 6 like I want it. This may sound crazy, but so did same sex marriage several years ago. I just thought of something. By this time next year maybe I’ll be able to marry my German Shepherd. I love her and she loves me. What a sick world we now live in.
so many times the kids who don’t listen end up being the greatest people. they think for themselves. please allow your son to be himself and quit the power struggle
Ollie Octopus: It took a while for someone to raise this discussion to a ridiculous level but you finally managed to do it. Congratulations on the dumbest post of the day.
Just think about this ! If your mother hadn’t protected You from abortion We would not even be having this conversation . What would you think of a law passed to permit the legal killing of abused children ? Just because a child Might be abused doesn’t give anyone the right to murder them does it ? Murder is murder weather the child has been born or not ! There is no right to choose to murder children !
Al it’s a fetus, not a child. It becomes a child when it’s born.
Alicia Salinas-
Al it’s a fetus, not a child. It becomes a child when it’s born.
Rilly? Willy and twuly?
Then riddle me this, batgirl: If you’re pregnant, and a drunk driver hits you, killing both you and your baby, why is he charged with TWO murders?
Or let’s say you live, but your baby dies. Hey, it was just a fetus! No murder charge for you, drunk boy!
Sorry “lady,” the law don’t work like that.
Because, “Black Lives Matter”! Unless they are unborn – then apparently, they don’t!
A human being is a human being, I think? How babies have been born still born? I think that God knows how to handle a human that should not be born. We have aborted more human than there are in the state of Maryland. For how many years have we, the USA, criticized China for the very same thing we are considering a normal practice. Everybody today knows how to prevent the birth of a child without killing babies because we didn’t want it. We call our selves a Moral country, are we? Check the statistics, we white abort too many, well, one is too many. We used to have Orphanges, remember that word? Where are they now? Childless parents have to go to China to get a child now. In an Orphanage the child is an asset, to adopt one out reduces their Stately Stephen, so they make it difficult to adopt.
this is why if ANY republican gets elected pres it would be a mirical these stupid hypocrites might actually win if they dont MIND their own bus i like the donald and if he did win i would hope he nominates a MODERATE to the sup court not some bible beating LOON
He’d appoint a deal-maker. But don’t worry, since nearly 70% of Americans find him deplorable, it’s not likely that he will ever get to appoint anyone.
I think with the morning after pill available this should be a moot point. They should be handing these out like candy for all the women that are acting irresponsible and using abortions as birth control at tax payers expense.
Lk, Lk, true, but when a women is raped, it is not her being irresponsible is it? I say let’s eradicate rape first.
Another milestone in the further secularization of Man’s inhumanity to Man, to prove what – that a “culture of death” has preference over a “culture of life”?. Can we, humankind be that stupid?!
Are you voting for Trump, I guess you answered your own question.
its not about being raped or a life saving thing. its about being irresponsible and murdering babies. because of it. but, thats todays society.
When I first heard this, I thought it was John Roberts who had defected, but no, it’s Kennedy. We already have a huge SC problem when we can’t get 4 or 5 justices to agree that abortion doctors should have the meet the same safety standards as minor surgery clinic doctors. That pretty well proves they couldn’t care less about women and their health and safety. When will the surgery center docs sue that they shouldn’t have to meet those standards either? Or hospitals themselves? What germ-ridden, poorly equipped hospital or clinic would you want to visit with a health issue? Why would we force women to visit them for abortions? How many women will die or lose their ability to have children when they DO want them because of this decision?
lets stick to the point. nall they wanted was the same regulations for abortion cliniocs and access to hospital when needed and there are complications, that being sometimes something happens so yeah the justices should have oked that. shows you how polical agenda guide our nation not real thought for humanity. Shouldm’ t they be held accountable? it’s sad but true. that’s how abortion got legalized. it was the feelings going on in the 60’s that guided the court to make that horrible desion in the first place. so sad.
The pro-abortion justices don’t care about women. This was a common-sense law. Although it would have initially caused abortion clinics to close, it is likely they would have been replaced with ones capable of providing competent care to the women having an abortion.
These five justices have no problem sacrificing anything that interferes with the profitability of the abortion industry. Expecting these clinics to meet medical standards doesn’t seem to be too high of an expectation.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. GOD
You are all nuts. Why don’t we keep on bombing a few more million babies on the other side of the world and leave the women alone in the USA to make up their own minds. Their men most likely won’t be around to support and bring up the babies.
you should look at some pics of babies all stuffed in trash cans and also bombed out babies. I also don’t like that we’re bombing in various areas. you put all of us in the same bowl..
true, that why we have welfare to pay for the kids …………………
I,too, have studied the Constitution and I cannot find anythingin there that even remotely says that “killing unborn babys” is a Constitutional right. Out Court(s) are corrupt and our society is corrupt. One day God will bring a reckoning!
More Hypiocirsy from the LEFT…..” WE ONLY CARE ABOUT POLITICS< Who cares about WOMEN'S REAL HEALTH ISSUES IF AN ABORTION GOES WRONG….We can always sell BODY PARTS!… and Blame RIGHT TO LIFE for Improper CARE!
like Bucanon said years ago, the guy whyo used to debate people on tv, ” Without the “right to life there are no other rights. . it’s actually in the declaration of Inderperndence. The right to Life, Liberty and Justice. That’s why we as a country will always have a problem with abortion. it goes against our inner core and cuts across all races religion and socioeconomic classes. Our heart is broked in America. we just don’t have Heart anymore. So sad.
Regardless of the outcome it’s still a women’s choice.
First of all I am not a bible toting right winger. However, I do believe that abortion is not anything but plain murder and if those who believe in abortion had been aborted we would not have all these left wing idiots to begin with. All I can say is that I live believing in Jesus Christ and those who abort their babies absolutely cannot say that and the whole truth is that all who have aborted babies will face Jesus in the end and then they will pay their dues.
I had wondered whether or not The Court had enough sense to so rule. GIven their action, I’m encouraged, a little.
The bottom line is: Its a woman’s body that has to go thru pregnancy, not the man and most definitely, not a politician or a judge.
Many men screw it and then walk away with no responsibility or concern, I’ll do what I want with my body; if I want walk in front of a truck or take a bone out of my body, that is my business. If your religion thinks it is wrong, then don’t push your religion on me. Its better to abort/kill it now, then wait until it grows up unloved, unwanted & deprived. and become a criminal and have no respect for someone’s life. Why do you think the muslims have no respect for life. The mothers are just as bad, although they don’t have much of a choice with their backward & stupid husbands. They average 8.1 kids per family, no time to love or take care of them and is probably glad one goes out and gets killed. Its better to kill them in the womb then let them live to be a burden on the women, grow up deprived and live in a world they can’t handle.