Texas’ abortion safety measures were unanimously upheld by the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals today, according to court filings obtained by Breitbart Texas. The ruling overturns the San Antonio-based district court decision earlier in 2014 to block a number of the measures codified in 2013, according to the Associated Press.
The federal appeals court ruled that state lawmakers have the right require safer circumstances under which a woman may receive an abortion–to include requirements such as hospital admittance privileges, upgraded procedural facilities and a ban on operations after 20 weeks.
Reacting to the ruling, Texas Governor Rick Perry said, “The people of Texas have spoken through their elected leaders and in support of protecting the culture of life in our state. Today’s court decision is good news for Texas women and the unborn, and we will continue to fight for the protection of life and women’s health in Texas.”
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott offered praise for the decision as well in a brief statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.
“This unanimous decision is a vindication of the careful deliberation by the Texas Legislature to craft a law to protect the health and safety of Texas women,” General Abbott said.
Texas Right to Life, a prominent pro-life grassroots leader celebrated the decision as well.
“This is the third time the court has upheld pro-life policies for Texas and it’s great to see that the court has not wavered in moving forward with acknowledging the value of life,” Melissa Conway a spokesperson for Texas Right to Life told Breitbart Texas. “There has been a lot of out-of-state vocal appeal to this issue coming into Texas, trying to skew the perception of what Texans really want. When the war was waged, it put a lot of pressure on our legislators. In the beginning stages, all the way through to the fifth circuit ruling, Right to Life has walked with and supported our legislators.”
The Texas decision is the second high-profile case within a week that served as a setback for the greater Planned Parenthood organization. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled on March 25 that the State of Kansas could lawfully strip local clinics of funding despite the organization’s free speech claims, according to the AP.
Planned Parenthood President and daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards, Cecile, vowed to press on with the fight in a statement posted on the Texas Tribune shortly after the decision was handed down.
“We will combat these laws in the courts, and our separate political arm will mobilize voters to replace lawmakers who champion these dangerous laws in the first place,” Richards said.
Planned Parenthood v Texas 5th Circuit March 2014 by BreitbartTexas
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
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