Supreme Court ruling was sad day for unborn babies

For those of us who believe fewer abortions are a good thing, June 27 was a distressing day.

By a 5-3 ruling, with swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy joining the majority, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down House Bill 2, the Texas law that sought to raise standards at abortion clinics throughout Texas.

Understand one fact: The law did not expressly shut down abortion clinics. Instead, many clinics chose to shut down rather than upgrade their facilities and offer abortion-qualified doctors who had admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. That was their choice.

It is the height of hypocrisy that liberals want to regulate every part of human existence except abortion clinics, where an innocent baby is killed and the mother can face serious, longterm medical challenges due to the risky procedure.

But they claim abortion facilities are just fine as they are. If you think abortion facilities are safe, clean, and wellrun, I encourage you to google “Kermit Gosnell,” as you will be horrified by the disgusting practices he employed for decades before he was convicted of several felonies. But that’s not in Texas! A lawsuit filed in 2014 against a Houston abortion clinic, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast Inc., alleged massive Medicaid fraud, with billings totaling $4.3 million, and accused staffers of selling illegal abortion medications in the clinic parking lot.

Surely we can make sure abortion clinics are safe for women and being legally operated.

Regulate coal plants? Great! Tighten rules on chemical companies? Sure. Attempt to shut down fracking operations? Of course. Seek to ensure abortions are safe for women? That’s outrageous!

In light of HB2’s passage, the number of abortions decreased in Texas.

Despite Chicken Little-type predictions of back-alley, coat-hanger abortions, there were no reports of such barbaric practices being employed. In fact, there were 11,000 fewer abortions in Texas after the law passed than there would have been without it. How is that not a good thing? More beautiful babies born into this world, full of hope and promise.

But the more significant development in the legal challenge to HB2 is what did not happen. While the lawsuit challenged the requirements for an ambulatory surgical center and a doctor with admitting privileges, the third part of the law was not challenged. What was that? A ban on the truly barbaric practice of late-term abortions, meaning those performed after 20 weeks of gestation.

Yes, that was also part of HB2 — and abortion rights activists chose not to legally challenge that provision, presumably because they did not want to lose and establish a legal precedent. The late-term abortion ban remains in effect in Texas.

Texas remains one of the strongest anti-abortion states in the country. We have a sonogram law. We have parental notification. We have defunded Planned Parenthood.

Striking down HB2 was certainly a setback for the anti-abortion movement. The result will be more abortions in Texas, performed by less-qualified physicians in worse facilities. I don’t understand how that is better for women, as abortion rights activists claim.

Heading into the 2017 legislative session, the anti-abortion movement will continue working to pass sensible legislation to protect unborn babies. I expect many Texas legislators will offer a strong response to the dismantling of HB2.

We understand that abortion is currently legal in the U.S.

Liberal activists purport to speak for women.

Anti-abortion activists simply wonder who will speak for the unborn child.