德州第15上诉法院周四推翻了强制关闭休斯顿地区助产士诊所的禁制令。[1]法院裁定德州司法部长肯·帕克斯顿办公室仅基于匿名电子邮件作为证据不足以支持该禁制令，司法法官斯科特·菲尔德在意见中指出下级法院"滥用了自由裁量权"。[1]
被告玛丽亚·罗莎斯仍面临提供非法堕胎和雇用无证个人的刑事指控。[1]帕克斯顿办公室已表示将上诉至德州最高法院，以"确保临时禁制令程序的明确性"。[1]
这一案件与德州2022年颁布的堕胎禁令相关，该法令完全禁止堕胎，仅有极为有限的例外。[1]生殖权利中心高级律师詹娜·哈德森对此表示"德州没有案件"。[1]
Texas's 15th Court of Appeals has overturned a temporary restraining order that would have forced the closure of midwife clinics in the Houston area [1]. The court determined that the evidence submitted by the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was insufficient to support the closure, ruling that anonymous emails alone could not reasonably substantiate claims that abortions were being performed [1].
Justice Scott Field's opinion found that the lower court had "abused its discretion" in issuing the order [1]. The case stems from Texas's 2022 abortion ban, which prohibits abortion with only extremely limited exceptions [1].
Maria Rosales, the operator of the clinics, continues to face criminal charges related to allegedly providing illegal abortions and employing unlicensed individuals [1]. Despite the appeals court decision, Paxton's office has announced plans to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court to "ensure clarity in temporary restraining order procedures" [1].
Jenna Hudson, a senior attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, characterized the appeals court's ruling as decisive, stating that "Texas has no case" [1].