U.S. Supreme Court declines to block Texas abortion law

[riky]

U.S. Supreme Court declines to block Texas abortion law

By Lawrence Hurley and Lisa Garza WASHINGTON/DALLAS (Reuters) - A split U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to block implementation of a new abortion law in Texas that already has prompted a dozen clinics in the state to stop performing the procedure. The four liberal justices said they would have overturned the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals October 31 ruling that allowed the law to take effect. Justice Antonin Scalia, joined by two of his conservative colleagues, wrote an opinion explaining the rationale in favor of leaving the appeals court decision intact. Scalia criticized the four dissenters, saying that their suggested outcome would "flout core principles of federalism by mandating postponement of a state law without asserting that the law is even probably unconstitutional." Writing for the four dissenters, Justice Stephen Breyer said he would have favored blocking the law to "maintain the status quo" while the lower courts handled "this difficult, sensitive and controversial legal matter." Abortion rights groups and clinics that provide abortions are challenging the sweeping anti-abortion law, passed in July by the Republican-led Texas Legislature, that also requires abortion clinics to meet heightened building standards, bans abortion after 20 weeks and requires strict adherence to federal guidelines in prescribing abortion pills.

Source: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login