This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
The United States Supreme Court will hear a momentous abortion case on Wednesday, one of the most important in decades. Abortion clinics and doctors are challenging a Texas law that could shutter more than three-quarters of the state’s clinics. Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt is also the first high-profile case SCOTUS will hear since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. His absence leaves open the possibility of a tie.
The Texas law under challenge was passed in 2013 and imposes two requirements: First, clinics providing abortion services must maintain the same building standards as ambulatory surgical facilities. Second, medical professionals conducting abortion services must have admitting authority at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. More than half of the facilities providing abortion services in Texas have shut down since the law was passed.
The Supreme Court’s decision could ultimately affect similar laws that exist in a dozen other states. Here is a look at how the high court hearing is playing out on the ground in Washington, DC:
Francina Morel