Women’s rights are in the spotlight as a new abortion regulation is debated before the US Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts left open the possibility that he might side with the court’s four pro-choice justices on a high-profile abortion case before the highest court.
The case pertains to a Louisiana law that would seek to regulate abortion providers. It is the first major abortion-related case to come to the Supreme Court since Trump’s two appointees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were sworn in.
There are only nine Supreme Court Justices. Liberal presidents appointed only four of them. Many have expected that abortion-related cases would easily fall to 5-4 votes in favor of regulating abortion.
However, Roberts’ statement on Wednesday changes things. There is a possibility that the Trump administration’s conservative nominees might not be enough to sway the court.
The historic ruling of Roe v. Wade saw the Supreme Court codify abortion as perfectly legal in the US. But states vary on how strictly they regulate abortion providers.
In some parts of the US, particularly in the Southeast, abortion is a highly-charged issued. People often invoke religion as justification for regulating women’s bodies.
Many have noted that the unrelenting attack on abortion rights from the political right contradicts the GOP’s love of personal rights. By regulating abortion providers and cutting their funding, lawmakers make it that much harder for women to access basic health services.
For instance, Planned Parenthood, a clinic that is often the target of Republican ire, provides numerous services for women’s health beyond abortion. The clinic provides services like birth control, check-ups, and cancer screenings. By defunding clinics like Planned Parenthood, lawmakers are inadvertently encouraging a failure to diagnose breast cancer and other similar conditions.
Roberts actually voted contrary to the liberal justices in a very similar case four years ago. That case involved a Texas law to regulate abortion providers.
However, Roberts explained that the original ruling found that the Texas law put an unconstitutional burden on women seeking an abortion. It also gave no medical benefit to women.
In Roberts’ view, this Louisiana law was much the same as that Texas law. Citing court precedence, Roberts seemed to suggest he could vote with the four liberal justices in this case. That would be a resounding victory for women’s bodily autonomy.
