Appeals court upholds pro-life Texas law

Texas does not allow abortionists to dismember living babies inside the womb, but so far courts have kept the state from enforcing the 2017 law. On Wednesday, a majority of judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law does not create an undue burden on women because other methods of abortion are widely available.

What were the arguments in the case? Pro-abortion advocates said babies cannot feel pain during the gestation period affected by the law. They also argued in court that one alternative provided in the law, using suction to remove a fetus, also results in dismemberment. Kimberlyn Schwartz with Texas Right to Life celebrated the decision. “Anyone can see the cruelty of dismemberment abortions,” she said. “We’re grateful the judges recognized this horror.”

Dig deeper: Read Samantha Gobba’s report on the legal path the Texas law has followed.