U.S. appeals court lets Texas enforce abortion clinic rules

Reuters
Protesters line the floors of the rotunda at the State Capitol building during a protest before the start of a special session of the Legislature in Austin, Texas to pass sweeping abortion restrictions July 1, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Stone

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that Texas could begin enforcing restrictions on abortion clinics that critics of the new rules say will force all but seven of the facilities in the state to shut down. A panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that Texas could enforce the requirement that clinics have certain hospital-like settings for surgeries while the court weighs the constitutionality of the state law. A lower court in August ruled the "ambulatory surgical center requirement" unconstitutional, finding it placed an undue burden on women seeking abortions. Texas officials appealed that ruling. Abortion rights advocates were critical of Thursday's ruling. "This is a devastating day for Texas women," Jennifer Dalven, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. "The court’s decision ignores the medical experts, who have recognized that these laws hurt women, not help them." (Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky; Editing by Frank McGurty and Peter Cooney)