A remarkable number of legal victories for reproductive health came down this week. In review, this week:
The Supreme Court issued a historic 5-3 ruling declaring Texas’ HB 2 law unconstitutional as an undue burden for women seeking abortion. The law required clinics offering abortion services to comply with ambulatory surgical center standards, as well as mandated that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at local hospitals. http://live-feminist.pantheonsite.io/index.php/2016/06/27/supreme-court-victory-for-women-foreshadows-elections-importance-on-abortion-rights/
A federal judge blocked an Indiana law from going into effect that would have banned women from seeking abortions due to fetal genetic abnormalities or the race, gender, or ancestry of the fetus. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-faces-deadline-decision-indiana-abortion-law-40238803
The Supreme Court declined to hear Mississippi’s appeal that sought to enforce a state law that required admitting privileges for abortion providers, which upheld the lower court’s preliminary injunction of the law. http://live-feminist.pantheonsite.io/index.php/2016/06/30/scotus-saves-sole-abortion-clinic-in-mississippi/
A fetal assault law in Tennessee that prosecuted women who abuse drugs while pregnant ended on July 1. Many argued it prevented women from seeking help and that treatment centers that could assist these women were unavailable. http://wjhl.com/2016/06/29/tennessees-fetal-assault-law-ends-july-1/
Alabama’s attorney general dropped the state’s appeal of a lower court ruling that found the state’s admitting privilege requirement for abortion providers and ambulatory surgical center mandate for abortion clinics unconstitutional. http://www.wtok.com/content/news/Alabama-attorney-general-ends-fight-over-abortion-law-384604261.html
Lawmakers in Arizona intend to introduce legislation to repeal the state’s hospital admitting privilege requirement for abortion providers. http://www.sacbee.com/news/article86435637.html
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a Washington state regulation that required pharmacies fill all lawful prescriptions, with the caveat that individuals with religious objections could refer the patient to another pharmacist within the same store. A lawsuit claiming the regulation was a violation of religious freedom was rejected by the lower court. http://live-feminist.pantheonsite.io/index.php/2016/06/29/supreme-court-denies-washington-pharmacists-religious-freedom-appeal/
A federal judge temporarily blocked a Florida law that would have cut state funding from Planned Parenthood and required an annual inspection of half of clinic patients’ medical records. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/135b184c1f9a420883f18abebf55df5c/federal-judge-blocks-new-florida-abortion-law
The Supreme Court declined to hear Wisconsin’s appeal of a lower court decision that struck down a law requiring hospital admitting privileges for abortion providers. http://www.wpr.org/supreme-court-rejects-wisconsins-abortion-law-appeal
On Friday, the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the seven abortion restrictions passed this year by the state of Louisiana, arguing that each is unconstitutional on its own, and that together they amass an incredible burden on women seeking an abortion. These seven laws are in addition to Louisiana’s admitting privilege requirement for abortion providers, a law that was blocked from going into effect by the Supreme Court in March 2016. http://www.reproductiverights.org/press-room/center-for-reproductive-rights-files-new-lawsuit-challenging-every-abortion-restriction-passed-in-louisiana-this-year