Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of Mississippi's Only Abortion Clinic

Mississippi's last abortion clinic will remain open after a panel of federal judges on Tuesday struck down a law that would have shut it down.

Jackson Women's Health Organization was in jeopardy of closing after an April 2012 law was passed requiring all doctors that perform abortions have the right to admit patients at local hospitals. But the doctors were unable to obtain admittance privileges at the 6 hospitals located less than 30 minutes from the clinic, USA Today reported.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled the 2012 law is unconstitutional, USA Today reported. Such a law would have placed an undue burden on women by forcing them to travel out of state for abortions, the court ruled.

"Mississippi may not shift its obligation to respect the established constitutional rights of its citizens to another state," the panel wrote according to the newspaper.

Nancy Northup, CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, celebrated the victory.

"Today's ruling ensures women who have decided to end a pregnancy will continue, for now, to have access to safe, legal care in their home state," Northup said according to CBS News.

Supporters of the law argued that residents would be able to receive abortions in neighboring states. Back in April, Paul Barns of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office said over 3,000 women left the state to have abortions in 2011.

A Texas judge wrote in a dissenting opinion the appeals court did not take time to determine the accessibility of abortions in others states.

"Because the undue burden test requires an assessment of the difficulty of obtaining abortion services, whether in a woman's own state or a neighboring state, and because neither the district court nor the majority has undertaken this assessment, I respectfully dissent," Judge Emilio M. Garza wrote according to CBS News.

Texas recently passed a similar law requiring doctors to have admittance privileges at hospitals within a 30 mile radius. Nine other states also have similar laws, USA Today reported.

It is not yet clear if the state of Mississippi will appeal the decision.

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