ColumnThe Supreme Court did something great on Monday. By voting 5-3, SCOTUS’s abortion ruling put an end to states passing “clinic shutdown” laws. While these laws don’t make abortion illegal, they severely limit access to abortion facilities.

Perhaps you remember when Texas first passed its abortion access law. The law was supposedly written to protect the health of women who seek abortions. The law stated that abortion clinics would have to attain a surgical center requirement for doctors to be able to perform abortions. Most people agree that this law, and laws like it, are total bullshit. And thank goodness, the majority of Supreme Court judges agrees.

“There was no significant health-related problem that the new law helped to cure,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the majority opinion. “We agree with the District Court that the surgical-center requirement, like the admitting-privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an undue burden on their constitutional right to do so.”

This abortion ruling is also quite remarkable because it shows that, in the future, even if the next Justice nominated predominately votes in a republican manner (aka he or she typically sides with pro-lifers) votes on abortion could still lean toward a pro-choice stance. And in addition to tearing down this Texas law, the ruling will most likely affect other states that have created similar laws.

“By clarifying exactly what the ‘undue burden’ test requires, I suspect the majority was hoping to dissuade states like Oklahoma from continuing to pass laws that so directly challenge the central premise of Roe v. Wade—that the Constitution protects a pregnant woman’s right to an abortion in a meaningful percentage of cases,” Steve Vladeck, CNN contributor and professor of law at American University Washington College of Law, says.

“In the process, the Court today has called into question everything from categorical bans on abortions to so-called ‘fetal heartbeat’ restrictions, and perhaps plenty of other laws in between.”

Do you know how great it is to hear some good news concerning politics? These past few weeks have been filled with such disheartening news: the SCOTUS decision concerning immigration; America’s inability to pass common-sense gun control laws; and most recently, the Brexit vote that proves nationalism is on the rise, or that people are too lazy to vote, or do their homework before voting.

While having an abortion isn’t an intense procedure, the hoops women jump through to have an abortion are often burdensome. And no woman should have to drive more than 20 miles to get this type of procedure. Easy-to-access, safe abortions should be the norm in America.

So, thanks for the refreshing ruling, SCOTUS. Now Americans can celebrate the Fourth of July with a little pride.

Related on EcoSalon

Hobby Lobby Is a Person, but You? Not So Much: That Happened

3 Mothers Embrace Abortion As a Woman’s Right

Who Knew IUDs Could Make Great Earrings and Promote Family Planning?

Image of SCOTUS via Shutterstock

The post The SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Kicks Ass: #NowWhat appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnThe American political climate has been at its craziest over the past few months. And while a lot of the political news is quite concerning, we’ll touch on one of those major concerns, which happens to rhyme with “Rump”.

One story that restored our faith in American politics this past week was the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to block a Louisiana law that would have restricted the state’s abortion providers. The law would have left the southern state with one doctor who was “licensed to perform the procedure [an abortion],” reports the LA Times. The decision was made last Friday. Justice Clarence Thomas entered the single no vote.

While this is positive news for women seeking abortions in Louisiana, the decision is also a sign of hope for abortion access supporters throughout the country.

“For the third time in a little over a year, the Supreme Court has stepped in to preserve women’s ability to get the constitutionally protected healthcare they need,” Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, says. “We look to the justices to put an end to these sham measures threatening women’s rights, health and lives across the U.S.”

But just because SCOTUS votes one way on a certain case doesn’t meant that the Court will continue to vote in a similar fashion on future cases. And since a seat on the Supreme Court recently opened after Judge Scalia’s sudden passing, the Court’s future is even more uncertain. Thus far, it’s unknown if President Obama will be able to place a justice on the Court during his last year in office.

And that leads us to a quick discussion about America’s 2016 presidential nominees. While nothing is set in stone, it appears that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party’s candidate and that Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s candidate.

Now, if Clinton becomes president, she will most likely continue to make moderate or left-leaning decisions, which probably means U.S. abortion rights will remain, at the very least, relatively safe. But if Trump becomes president? All bets are off.

Over the past few weeks, Trump has catered to white supremacists, made various references concerning the size of his penis during a debate, and has hocked his various Trump products during a post-primary speech.

While Trump has said many things that seem to indicate he doesn’t respect women, he also has made some incredulous declarations about abortion. Just recently, Trump said the following during a press conference: “Look, Planned Parenthood has done very good work for many, many—for millions of women. And I’ll say it, and I know a lot of the so-called conservatives, they say that’s really—’cause I’m a conservative, but I’m a common-sense conservative.”

The sentiment seems to indicate that Trump is beginning to realize the he’s going to have to start “moving toward the middle” if he wants to win the general election. However, as we all know, everything that comes out of politicians mouths–especially Trump’s mouth–can’t be taken seriously. After all, it’s hard to believe that a man who has made fun of women’s periods could ever be an advocate for women’s health.

We’re certain this isn’t the last time Trump will be in the news-we’ll keep you up to date on all his antics in the coming months.

It’s going to be a long summer.

Related on EcoSalon

John Oliver Takes Staunch Pro-Lifers to Task [Video]

Gird Your Nipples, Ladies: A New Hampshire Politician Wants to Pinch ‘em: #NowWhat

Self Abortions and Planned Parenthood Shootings… Just Another Day in America: #NowWhat

Image of SCOTUS via Erik Cox Photography Shutterstock

The post Abortion Access and the Donald: #NowWhat appeared first on EcoSalon.