Supreme Court to hear arguments on Texas abortion case in March

La Corte Suprema de EE.UU. se negó el lunes 29 de junio a permitir que Texas aplique restricciones que llevarían al cierre de 10 clínicas para abortos en el estado. Las siguientes fotos y mapas te darán una idea sobre cómo ha ido disminuyendo la cantidad de proveedores de servicios de abortos en Texas. less La Corte Suprema de EE.UU. se negó el lunes 29 de junio a permitir que Texas aplique restricciones que llevarían al cierre de 10 clínicas para abortos en el estado. Las siguientes fotos y mapas te darán una ... more Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press Image 1 of / 80 Caption Close Supreme Court to hear arguments on Texas abortion case in March 1 / 80 Back to Gallery

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments about the constitutionality of Texas' strict anti-abortion law on March 2, the justices announced Thursday, setting a date for a hotly anticipated battle that could affect women's health policy across the country.

The oral arguments will take place at 10 a.m. eastern time at the court's chambers in Washington, D.C.

The scheduling puts the case on track for a ruling in June, which had been expected when the justices announced in November that they would consider a challenge brought by abortion providers.

The law, known as House Bill 2, which was approved in 2013 over a filibuster by Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis, banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, sharply limited the use of a pill to accomplish the procedure, required abortion doctors to obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and mandated that abortion facilities meet the standards of hospital-style surgical centers.

The providers, who are being represented by the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, are arguing that the two final regulations are so unfairly hard to meet that they have forced abortion clinics to close and thus made abortion unconstitutionally hard to access. The high court ruled in the landmark Roe vs. Wade case that abortion access is a constitutional right.

More than half of abortion clinics in operation before the law have already closed and a dozen more could shutter if the regulations fully take effect, leaving 10 or less in the state. Anti-abortion activists say the facilities could meet the regulations if they wanted to, though.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, representing the state, has argued that the law was a rational way to protect the health of women seeking an abortion.