Supreme Court Grants Relief to Thousands of Texas Women Seeking Safe, Legal Abortion

While Latino Millennials tend to have a conservative view on abortion, many Texas Latinas are celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to temporarily block Texas legislation that threatened access to abortion care for tens of thousands of women, namely Latina and low income women.

According to the U.S. Census, 38.4 percent of Texas population is Hispanic/Latino and likely overwhelming female. Many of those women are of childbearing age, and a number of those women will become pregnant. According to statistics, one-in-three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45. If that's true, women should be able to access legal, safe abortion care.

Without the Supreme Court's decision, access for some areas would've been limited to a single remaining clinic providing abortion care in the Rio Grande Valley and McAllen. Both areas carry a large Latino population.

Yesterday, a majority of the Supreme Court issued an emergency stay to protect access to legal and safe abortions statewide. The blocked law planned to impose medically unnecessary and severe state restrictions, which would lead to the closure of many facilities. Texas abortion providers, represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, requested an appeal and asked that the Supreme Court review their case.

"We are grateful the Supreme Court has stepped in to protect women's access to safe, legal abortion, for now. Restricting or banning abortion blocks women from getting safe medical care," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in a statement.

"This dangerous law never should have passed in the first place -- which is why we need to elect leaders who will champion women's health and rights. Texas has become a cautionary tale and an example of what could happen in all 50 states if Rick Perry, Scott Walker, Jeb Bush and other Republican contenders have their way."

According to Planned Parenthood, had the law gone into effect restrictions would have left 5.4 million women of reproductive age with 10 or fewer legal, safe abortion-serving health clinics, a dramatic decrease from the 40 health centers made available to the public throughout the state prior to the passing of the law.

Planned Parenthood affiliates continue to provide safe, legal abortion care at health centers in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Ft. Worth and San Antonio, but Texas is a large state with countless women of childbearing age, who may or may not require access to abortion care.