It has been a busy week at the Supreme Court. This week we will look at how the Court has allowed women to be subjected to substandard care in June Medical Services v. Russo, a challenge to Louisiana’s admitting privileges laws.
In June Medical, the Supreme Court struck down a law designed to protect women by requiring an abortionist at least have hospital admitting privileges. However, the Court essentially said this was too high of a burden to place on an abortionist and that the law did not provide any real benefit. This is similar to a law enacted in Kansas in 2011 that has been enjoined since that time.
Justice Alito aptly stated that this week’s “decision claims new victims.”
It did indeed. In Kansas we know the reality of women whose lives have been claimed by the abortion industry all too well.
There are real women in Kansas who have not received proper care during or after an abortion. Women have suffocated and died during an abortion. Women whose lives have been permanently changed because of infections following a botched abortion. Women who have suffered through weeks of blood loss that required surgery. And sadly, these are just some of the stories we know about.
These are women who could have been helped by common sense laws like admitting privilege requirements.
The U.S. Supreme Court this week refused to value the life of mothers or babies. It is up to us, through our elected representatives, to continue to fight to pass laws that value both mothers and babies. As we do so, we change our culture and we build a testimony not just for the Court, but for those that come after us that these lives are valuable and should not be sidelined but should be cherished.
We already know we cannot count on our Kansas Supreme Court to protect mothers or babies. In the Hodes decisions of 2019 they removed our ability to enforce even the most basic regulations on abortion industry. This is something that we are working to change through the Value Them Both amendment.
The Court doesn’t get the final word on these questions. We will continue to work to protect life in our state and our nation!
For mothers and babies,
Brittany Jones, Esq.
Director of Advocacy