A federal judge struck down a new law Friday that would have forced a majority of abortion clinics in Texas to close.
The law mandated that abortion clinics meet the standards of hospital surgery units, and was set to take effect Monday, but Judge Lee Yeakel, of the District Court in Austin ruled it unconstitutional because it would infringe on a woman’s right to an abortion, The New York Times reports.
“As he clearly states in his decision, requiring every abortion clinic to turn into a surgical center is excessive and not based on good medicine,” Amy Hagstrom Miller, chief executive of Whole Woman’s Health, a plaintiff in the suit, told The Times. (RELATED: Texas Abortion Activist: ‘F**K Conservative Texas And Tradition’)
A Texas attorney general spokesperson told The Times the state disagrees with and will appeal the court’s ruling.