For Release: November 13, 2015

SCOTUS To Hear Case Against Texas’ Clinic Closure Law

Texas—On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that they will hear Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole, the case against Texas’ dangerous law that has shuttered abortion clinics across the state. Since provisions of HB 2—the law being challenged—first went into effect in 2013, over half of the abortion clinics in Texas have been forced to close. If the law is allowed to go into full effect, only 10 clinics will remain in Texas—a state with 5.4 million women of reproductive age. NARAL Pro-Choice Texas Executive Director Heather Busby made the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision: “Texans are fully capable of making thoughtful decisions about their families, future and reproductive health without interference from politicians. This law is an end-run around the constitution, designed to shut down quality reproductive health clinics. HB 2 creates higher costs, longer delays and additional barriers, pushing pregnant people further into their pregnancies, causing them to travel long distances and putting their health and safety at risk. “Access to health care should not depend on a person’s income, where they live or their ability to travel to another state. It’s time for the Supreme Court to send a clear message that these dangerous laws create an undue burden on a woman seeking an abortion.” The coalition of abortion providers bringing the case to the Supreme Court is challenging provisions of the law that mandate that all abortion clinics meet mini-hospital standards—which requires unnecessary and expensive building renovations including widening hallways and adding in locker rooms—and give hospital boards veto power over which clinics are able to provide abortion care. The American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other national health care experts are united in opposing HB 2. A recent study from the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP) reveals that the widespread abortion clinic closures as a result of HB 2 are substantially increasing wait times for abortions, pushing people seeking abortion care later into their pregnancies and making the procedure more difficult for them to afford. Wait times at clinics in Austin and Fort Worth exceed 20 days and will likely increase if more clinics are forced to close.

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Contact: Zoey Lichtenheld, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, zoey@prochoicetexas.org, o: (512) 462-1661, m: (512) 920-2046