The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down two Texas abortion laws could eventually affect North Carolina's clinics. But any changes to state restrictions may take a while.
About two dozen states have at least one of the two laws at issue in Monday's ruling. That includes North Carolina, which requires abortion clinics to meet the standards for a surgical center.
The other law, requiring abortion clinicians to have hospital admitting privileges, is not on the books here.
So what does the high court's decision mean for North Carolina's rules? According to Elon Law School professor Steve Friedland, there's no immediate effect.
“It can be argued that they are no longer valid,” Friedland says. “But there's also an argument that our state is different, it was calculated differently, there were different concerns. And it will probably lead to a lawsuit.”
While the 5-3 decision should send ripples across other states that have these laws, it does not wipe those laws out. The court was only ruling on the Texas versions, saying they put an “undue burden” on women seeking abortions while not doing enough to protect their health.
Each state that has these restrictions – including North Carolina – now has a choice. According to Friedland, the state could simply choose not to enforce the law, or legislators could choose to repeal it.
Perhaps a more likely route, though: individual regulations will be challenged in court, with plaintiffs pointing to Monday's ruling as precedent for their constitutionality.
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