Abortion Providers Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
Last edited Tue Nov 5, 2013, 10:51 PM - Edit history (1)
U.S. Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia has ordered the state of Texas to respond by Nov. 12 to an appeal filed by abortion providers seeking to block implementation of the controversial requirement from House Bill 2 that abortion doctors have nearby admitting privileges.
The admitting-privilege provision went into effect Friday after a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals vacated the decision of federal district Judge Lee Yeakel who ruled after a three-day trial that the provision is unconstitutional. Scalia will now be faced with determining whether to reverse the Fifth Circuit and allow the lower court ruling to stand until after the appeals court considers a full appeal of the case in January. (As the judge assigned to the Fifth Circuit, Scalia could make this decision himself or could ask the full court to weigh in. If he denies the providers' appeal, they may turn to another member of the court for reconsideration.)
In the meantime, imposition of the provision in Texas, where many abortion-performing doctors are currently without admitting privileges, is "wreaking havoc on the lives of women and their families," and on abortion providers across the state, said Louise Melling, deputy legal director for the ACLU, which with Planned Parenthood, Whole Woman's Health and other abortion providers sued Texas in September to block the provision from taking effect last month.
During a morning press call, providers and lawyers reiterated that clinics across the state have had to cease providing abortions while they wait to find out if their doctors will be granted admitting privileges at any number of hospitals. Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder and CEO of Whole Woman's Health, which has five clinics across the state – three of which are now incapable of providing abortion care because of the law – said that by her count, 14 clinics in Texas have now stopped providing care, and are having to turn away patients who had already scheduled appointments to receive the procedure before the Fifth Circuit intervened Halloween night.
More at http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/news/2013-11-04/breaking-abortion-providers-appeal-to-u-s-supreme-court/ .
[font color=green]The article continues with the plight of one woman that flew back to Seattle in order to obtain an abortion after sitting through the various other waiting periods. The abortion providers that remain open are experiencing volume increases as the women vie for open appointments.[/font]
Cross-posted in General Discussion forum.
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Thanks for the suggestion. 
