Texas Legislation Was Amended, Stopping the Closure of 37 Abortion Clinics
Women's health is only a public and legislative concern when it regards reproductive health. Two anti-abortion bills, SB1 and HB2, were making their way through Texas the legislature, and if passed it would have meant that there would only be FIVE abortion clinics available to assist more than 13 million women throughout Texas. However, that action was halted. A federal judge amended the Texas abortion ruling, interrupting the closure of nearly 40 abortion clinics in the state. The amendment is a win for women's rights activists, and any woman who might find herself in need of a termination.
District Judge Lee Yeakel intervened after the state received lawsuits from Planned Parenthood and other clinics which offer abortion services in Texas, according to The Associated Press. He determined that the state had no right to limit an abortionist's treatment when it came to the health of women. The passing of the abortion ruling would have meant the consolidation of several facilities and services into one hospital, and women would have limited access to these clinics after already having to hurdle over barriers set in place to weaken access for minorities in Texas.
"Even though the judge has said that the FDA protocol is 'clearly more burdensome for women,' Texas legislators are continuing to play doctor and ensure that many women will not be able to use a safer-evidence based protocol for medication abortion," Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), said in a statement. "The last thing Latinas need are more barriers to reproductive care."
The revocation of safe clinical options for abortions would lead to women being forced to choose unsafe alternatives across state lines or across the border. It would mean more abortion related deaths, and it would mean that more children could be born into low-wage homes, ensuring that the impoverished never overcome their condition.
"These laws were nothing more than medically unnecessary attempts to block women from accessing important health care," González-Rojas stated. "As is often the case, these misguided restrictions would have disproportionately hurt the health of Latinas and women of color, who already face far too many barriers to care. Overall, today's ruling is a win for Latina health."
Because 40 percent of Texas' population is Hispanic, and Latina's account for 25 percent of all abortion in the United States, it is not an understatement to say that Latinas would've been deeply affected by legislation that limits access to these procedures. 68 percent of Latinas believe in a woman's right to choose, even if that decision is contrary to the church's position on the subject.
The news of the amendment is positive. The only ruling left intact was, abortions will not be allowed after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and they cite "fetal pains" for the reasoning.
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