Key justice Kennedy wavers as Supreme Court confronts abortion
Source: Reuters
Key justice Kennedy wavers as Supreme Court confronts abortion
Reuters
By Lawrence Hurley
5 hours ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A closely divided Supreme Court struggled with its biggest abortion case in years on Wednesday, with pivotal Justice Anthony Kennedy voicing concerns about a restrictive Texas law yet stopping short of signaling he would strike it down.
The court's four liberal justices indicated they believed the law, which imposes strict regulations on abortion doctors and clinic buildings, intrudes on a woman's constitutional right to end a pregnancy established in a 1973 ruling.
Conservative justices including Kennedy expressed doubt during the 85-minute oral argument about claims by abortion providers who asserted that the Republican-backed 2013 law forced numerous clinics to shut down.
Kennedy at one point suggested sending the case back to a lower court to get further evidence on the law's impact, including an assessment of the ability of existing Texas clinics to meet the demand for abortions.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-abortion-case-goes-shorthanded-u-supreme-court-050154738.html#
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