FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2015
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Today, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in a case on deceptive clinic closure laws that impose extra restrictions on abortion providers, but not other medical providers. These laws are also known as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP).
Said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America:
“This case should not exist. The Texas law on which is it based is an outright attack on women and a shameless effort to ban nearly all abortions in Texas. That being said, the Court now has the opportunity to decide whether we will continue to allow elected officials to play politics with women’s health. This case represents the greatest threat to women’s reproductive freedom since the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade over 40 years ago. Laws like the ones being challenged in Texas are designed to subvert the Constitution and end the right to a safe and legal abortion.
When women make their own reproductive choices, they lead healthier lives and are able plan for their career and their livelihoods. Laws, like the one in Texas, that attempt to deprive women of these choices endanger us.
For years, anti-choice activists have tried to overturn Roe and strip women of their fundamental rights. Those efforts have failed, because most Americans trust women to make our own decisions about when and with whom we have families. These deceptive laws, designed to close clinics, exist in forty-four states and the District of Columbia, so make no mistake – this is not just about Texas. It’s about undermining the fundamental human rights of women all over this country.
The Supreme Court has affirmed time and time again that the Constitution protects a woman’s right to make our own medical decisions. Laws like the one being ruled on by the Court are denying this right to women based on their geography or means and should be ruled unconstitutional. Women—and only women—should be in control of when and with whom we have families. ”
NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”
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