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U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeals by two states seeking to restrict abortion rights

Xinhua, June 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

One day after striking down Texas' restrictive abortion law, the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday rejected appeals from the states of Mississippi and Wisconsin seeking to enact similar abortion laws.

The court refused to hear the two states' appeals against lower court rulings that have blocked them from enacting restrictions on abortion doctors and clinics.

With a 5-3 vote on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that the 2013 Texas law places "undue burden" on the right of women seeking an abortion, by requesting abortion doctors to have admitting privileges with a hospital within 30 miles (48 kms) and abortion clinics to have costly hospital-style facilities.

The laws passed in Mississippi and Wisconsin have similar restrictions on abortion doctors and clinics, making it virtually impossible for them to operate.

The Wisconsin law was overturned in 2015 by a court of appeals based in Chicago, while the Mississippi law was blocked in 2012 by a federal district court, whose rulings were upheld in 2014 by a court of appeals based in New Orleans. Endi