Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana Abortion Law That Would Have Closed Down Clinics
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s tough restriction on abortion actually violates the Constitution.
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The Supreme Court voted 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with liberal justices to block the restrictive Louisiana abortion measure that critics said would have closed nearly every clinic in the state.
It’s a major win for abortion rights advocates and activists who argued that the law was not medically necessary and amounted to a veiled attempt to restrict abortion.
“The legal doctrine of stare decisis requires us, absent special circumstances, to treat like cases alike,” Roberts wrote in concurring with the decision. “The Louisiana law imposes a burden on access to abortion just as severe as that imposed by the Texas law, for the same reasons. Therefore Louisiana’s law cannot stand under our precedents.”
Initially, it was being questioned was whether Louisiana’s 2014 law requiring doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals burdens women’s access to abortion. Practitioners said it has proven impossible for most of the doctors to acquire the privileges, leaving only one eligible to perform the procedure. It was nearly identical to the Texas law struck down by the Supreme Court back in 2016, which said the requirement did not have a medical benefit.
Nancy Northup, the president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, who also challenged the Louisiana abortion law at the top court, said in a statement that “we’re relieved that the Louisiana law has been blocked today but we’re concerned about tomorrow.”
She added,
“With this win, the clinics in Louisiana can stay open to serve the one million women of reproductive age in the state. But the Court’s decision could embolden states to pass even more restrictive laws when clarity is needed if abortion rights are to be protected,” Northup said.
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