June 27 marked an incredible day for women — the Supreme Court shut down a Texas abortion access law, which threatened women's health clinics that would otherwise have allowed women to receive a safe, professional, secure abortion. The law against abortion, known as Texas House Bill 2 (or HB2) was overturned in a 5-3 decision, and pro-choice women around the nation are celebrating — after all, this is the biggest Supreme Court case regarding abortions in decades, and a woman's right to choose seems to be threatened quite often, despite the ruling of Roe v. Wade back in 1973. Texas, known for being a red state as far as politics are involved, definitely has a high population that doesn't agree with the decision, but many Texans are celebrating the Supreme Court decision.
Texas' HB2, which was put in place back in 2013, stated that all abortion clinics must perform similarly to ambulatory surgical centers, and added other restrictions that forced many women to have to search and travel even farther for the services they needed.
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the majority opinion for this trial, saying that the restrictions imposed by HB2 created "a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion," noting that they were also in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Pro-choice advocates were against HB2, as it appeared to mask as a way to protect women's health, but ended up truly hurting the clinics that women depend on, both for abortions and overall health care. In Texas, women would eventually be left with only nine centers that they could attend, down from 40 — and Texas is a big state. Breyer wrote:
More fundamentally, in the face of no threat to women's health, Texas seeks to force women to travel long distances to get abortions in crammed-to-capacity superfacilities. Patients seeking these services are less likely to get the kind of individualized attention, serious conversation, and emotional support that doctors at less taxed facilities may have offered.
While the Supreme Court's decision ended up with mixed opinions (as many of them do), here are a few proud Texans and Texas-based organizations that are happy about this big change for women's health.
1.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett works with communities from San Antonio to Austin, so his support is quite meaningful.
2.
NARAL Pro-Choice America ("National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League") has a mission to support pro-choice organizations, so the Texas chapter is quite pleased that such a monumental call was made in its state.
3.
Author Katherine Howe currently lives in New England, but she's a native Texan, and couldn't be happier.
4.
This decision is, without a doubt, emoji-appropriate.
5.
SCOTUS definitely deserves a few kisses and hugs.
6.
It's a shame that in 2016, women are still struggling for the right to be heard. But thankfully, this is a step in the right direction.
7.
The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) stands up for both equality and justice. Branches throughout the United States were thrilled with the decision to let women choose their own health care options.
8.
This is probably the best use of this emoji I've ever seen.
9.
Short, sweet, and a genuine sentiment towards the SCOTUS decision.
10.
It is, indeed, a monumental victory.
11.
HB2 continuing on would have definitely made things tougher for women. Again — nine clinics throughout all of Texas. As of 2016, Texas estimated a population of 12,673,281 women.
12.
That's a pretty thunderous, and well deserved, round of applause.
Images: Twitter (12), Getty
