More than 200 members of Congress, all but two of them are Republicans, have come forward urging the Supreme Court to reconsider the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
In an amicus brief supporting a Louisiana law that requires doctors in abortion clinics to have hospital admitting privileges, 207 senators and members of the House of Representatives described the Roe decision and others like it as “unworkable.”
Those who signed on to the brief said they, “respectfully suggest that the court’s struggle—similar to dozens of other courts’ herculean struggles in this area—illustrates the unworkability of the ‘right to abortion’ found in Roe and the need for the Court to take up the issue of whether Roe and Casey should be reconsidered and, if appropriate, overruled.”
Roe v. Wade was ruled before we had a developed ultrasound.
— Live Action (@LiveAction) January 3, 2020
Today we know full-well children in the womb are whole, distinct human beings and are not mere "clumps of cells."
It is time for our laws to reflect scientific fact.
In March, the Supreme Court is due to hear arguments over the 2014 Louisiana law, which opponents claim will force most of the state’s abortion clinics to close. The law was temporarily blocked by the court in February.
Thursday’s initiative was led by House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.). Two of the document’s signatories, Reps. Collin C. Peterson (Minn.) and Daniel Lipinski (Ill.), are Democrats.
“In a year where the abortion movement has swept state legislatures to the extreme in states like New York and Virginia, it is important we defend the right of states like Louisiana to pass legislation to do the opposite and do more to protect the life of the unborn,” Blackburn said in a statement.
Abortion rights activists expressed alarm at the lawmakers’ comments, calling them a clear demonstration that the struggle between pro-life and abortion rights interests is far from over.
“Unfortunately, this amicus brief proves that not only is the threat to those rights very real, but it is at a critical tipping point where the minority is ready to strip our freedom away against the majority’s wishes,” Emily’s List President Stephanie Schriock said in a statement to The Washington Post.
Republicans want to turn back the clock, outlaw abortion, and deny people reproductive health care—and they're hoping the Supreme Court will back their radical play. We need to take back the Senate and pass federal laws protecting our reproductive rights. https://t.co/PVlS8imk7X
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 3, 2020
Abortion foes, however, welcomed the measure.
“Clearly, the 207 Members of Congress who joined this brief care deeply about the health and safety of the American people and the ability of legislators to enact commonsense law that protects women and children from the abuses perpetrated by the abortion industry,” said Catherine Glenn Foster, President and CEO of Americans United for Life.