Appeals court formally nullifies Texas abortion restrictions

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A federal appeals court has nullified key portions of a sweeping 2013 Texas abortion law – a legal formality that complies with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday declared unenforceable Texas requirements that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.

The New Orleans-based court did the same for requirements that Texas clinics performing abortions meet surgical center health and safety standards.

Texas’ Republican-controlled Legislature approved some of the nation’s toughest restrictions on abortion in 2013, despite a filibuster by Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis that made national headlines.

But the Supreme Court in June sided with abortion rights activists who argued that both provisions placed an undue burden on women seeking abortions.