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US Supreme Court to hear challenge to restrictive Texas abortion law

BMJ 2015; 351 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h6177 (Published 16 November 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;351:h6177
  1. Michael McCarthy
  1. 1Seattle

The US Supreme Court announced on 13 November that it will hear a challenge to a Texas law that has imposed regulations on abortion clinics and abortion providers that opponents say effectively deny women access to abortion.

The 2013 law requires that clinics providing abortions meet facility standards similar to those required of ambulatory surgery centers and that physicians providing abortion services have admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles (48 km) of the clinic.

The law’s supporters say that the requirements are necessary to protect patients’ health. “The abortion industry doesn’t like these laws, because abortion clinics would be forced to spend money to meet basic health and safety standards,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, an anti-abortion group. “For them, [the …

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