TEXAS -- Two separate amicus briefs in support of Texas House Bill 2, an abortion bill being challenged in an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case, were filed by prominent Texas politicians Wednesday.
On June 18, 2013, then-Gov. Rick Perry signed HB 2 into law. Since then, HB 2 has been challenged in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Planned Parenthood v. Abbott and will go before the U.S. Supreme Court in March.
The case, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, will be the first abortion case the court will have heard since 2007.
HB 2 is contested because the provisions it outlines would have effectively closed half of the abortion clinics in Texas overnight, if not challenged. Roughly 10 clinics would have been allowed to stay open. All of these clinics are located in major metropolitan areas, according to The Texas Tribune.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, along with nine other state governors, filed a bipartisan brief Wednesday morning. The brief is signed by nine Republican governors and one Democratic governor. Part of the brief reads:
"The Governors have a substantial interest in enforcing and defending laws aimed at improving health outcomes for women seeking abortions. Many States have enacted laws like House Bill 2 to improve the standard of care at abortion clinics, particularly at less-reputable clinics that operate at the margins of medical practice."
Here's the full brief:
Additionally, U.S. Sens.Ted Cruz and John Cornyn (R-TX) spearheaded a bipartisan brief signed in total by 34 senators and 140 House members.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Sen. Cruz said, "...the Texas Legislature enacted H.B. 2, just like other state legislatures across the country, to ensure that abortion clinics are held to the same medical standards as other medical facilities. But even this commonsense regulation for the protection of women is too much for the abortion lobby, which has challenged the regulation all the way to the Supreme Court. For the most zealous abortion advocates, nothing—not even women's health—can be allowed to stand in the way of abortion-on-demand."
Here's the full brief:
For more information on Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, go here.
