Right in time for the Supreme Court's historic ruling on Whole Women's Health vs. Hellerstedt, #StopTheSham started trending on Twitter. The phrase was chanted by pro-choice activists outside the Supreme Court on March 2, when the case on Texas' restrictive abortion laws was heard. On June 27, #StopTheSham made a victorious comeback after the court ruled in a 5-3 decision that those laws were unconstitutional and not implemented to protect women's health, as Texas solicitor general Scott Keller had claimed.
HB2 was deemed a "sham" because it claimed to protect women's health, but was actually implemented with the intention of making abortions less accessible by requiring that abortion clinics meet hospital standards. On another level, the law would have helped to further the illusion that Texan women abstain from abortions. During the hearing, however, Keller acknowledged that women who didn't live close to an in-state abortion clinic could simply get an abortion in New Mexico instead. If Texas was truly concerned about all women's health, it wouldn't force them to travel elsewhere for a medical service they will seek regardless. Instead, the law discriminated against rural women, or those who can't afford travel. In her concurring decision, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote:
Given those realities, it is beyond rational belief that H. B. 2 could genuinely protect the health of women, and certain that the law “would simply make it more difficult for them to obtain abortions.
For the first time in a long time, pro-choice activists can celebrate. #StopTheSham has triumphed, but its job isn't over just yet. The following tweets shows there's still much celebrating to be done.
1) This GoT Reference
Arya seemed like a good choice to feature here.
2) Audrey Hepburn
Mic drop.
3) The SCOTUS Trio
The women of the Supreme Court made this ruling possible and asked the toughest questions during the hearing.
4) RBG On TRAP Laws
The Justice has been a fierce defender of women's rights for decades.
5) This Senator's Response
Even members of Congress are spreading the hashtag.
6) This Center For Repro Rights Response
The Center for Reproductive Rights' activism has been influential.
7) A Reason To Celebrate
There is hope for similar victories in the future if a left-leaning justice is appointed to replace Antonin Scalia.
