Texas abortion bill struck down by US Supreme Court hailed as a 'victory for women'

The justices voted 5-3 in favour of abortion providers who challenged the state law that imposed strict regulations. The court argued that the regulations unconstitutionally limited a woman's right to an abortion and was medically unnecessary. Opposers to the abortion law claimed that it was designed by pro-life campaigners who were attempting to shut down clinics.

Since the law was passed, the number of abortion clinics in Texas dropped from 41 to 19. Democratic White House presidential candidate Hillary Clinton commented on the ruling via Twitter, calling it a "victory for women in Texas and across America".

In a statement, Cinton said: "Our fight is far from over. In Texas and across the country, a woman's constitutional right to make her own health decisions is under attack. In the first three months of 2016, states introduced more than 400 measures restricting access to abortion."

Barack Obama said he was "pleased" by the ruling. "We remain strongly committed to the protection of women's health, including protecting a woman's access to safe, affordable health care and her right to determine her own future," the US president said in a CNN report.

Justice Stephen Breyer said:"There was no significant health-related problem that the new law helped to cure."

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg agreed with Breyer's opinion, stating: "When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety," she wrote.

There were two provisions of the law. The first said that doctors needed to have local admitting privileges at hospitals close by. The second stated that the clinics had to upgrade their facilities to hospital-like standards.

Activists celebrated the victory by singing and dancing outside the courtroom saying: "You don't mess with Texas women."

Former Texas state Senator Wendy Davis said she was "absolutely overjoyed" by the Supreme Court's ruling. The Democrat gave an 11-hour filibuster of the bill in 2013, and said that the court's ruling was "good news for women in Texas and across the country."