Today’s 5-4 decision in June Medical Services v. Russo is a discouraging development in a now 47-year campaign to preserve and protect preborn life.
By a narrow majority, the Supreme Court ruled that commonsense safety precautions for abortion clinics are somehow unconstitutional. Louisiana lawmakers had passed legislation to protect women seeking abortions after it was discovered some facilities had been ignoring basic safety regulations, including one clinic hiring an ophthalmologist and a radiologist to perform abortions.
In a particularly curious and frustrating twist, Chief Justice Roberts, who sided with the Court’s liberals, said the Court is merely following the legal precedent it set in its 2016 Whole Woman’s Health v.