U.S. Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Case That Could Decimate Roe v. Wade

CONCORD -- Today the United States Supreme Court hears oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo, the first Supreme Court case involving abortion since Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh were appointed to the court. 

At issue in June Medical Services is a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital -- a restriction identical to one of the Texas laws the Court struck down less than four years ago in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. The Court is also considering whether abortion providers should be allowed to go to court on behalf of their patients to protect their rights, as they have been allowed to do for more than 40 years.

If the Supreme Court upholds the Louisiana law in defiance of its own precedent, it could jeopardize the protections for safe, legal abortion set in Roe v. Wade -- or even overturn Roe itself. 

Today the Court is only hearing oral arguments. A decision will come sometime before the end of the Court’s term at the end of June. 

Here’s what this case could mean for New Hampshire:

Abortion access in New Hampshire is under attack like never before. 

• Emboldened by the Trump administration’s attacks on abortion, out-of-touch New Hampshire politicians have introduced five New Hampshire bills this session that would either restrict or outright ban access to abortion care. 

• One bill, HB 1475, would ban abortion at six weeks, before most women even know they’re pregnant. 

• This package of anti-abortion legislation is truly unprecedented in terms of how extreme it is. 

If Roe v. Wade were overturned tomorrow, abortion would remain safe and legal in New Hampshire. 

• New Hampshire has one of the most supportive landscapes for reproductive health care  in the country.

• There are minimal restrictions to abortion in New Hampshire, including a parental notification law and barriers due to Medicaid not covering abortion care. Then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen repealed the only pre-Roe abortion law in 1997. 

Support for abortion rights in New Hampshire is among the highest in the country

• 64 percent of Granite Staters believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with 54 percent nationally. 

• New Hampshire’s strong support for abortion rights is due in large part to our state’s longstanding respect for privacy and the right to make one’s own decisions for their body.

Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund will never back down from protecting abortion access in the Granite State.

Statement from Sabrina Dunlap, VP of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund: 

“As the U.S. Supreme Court today hears oral arguments in a case that could render the protections of Roe v. Wade meaningless, extreme politicians right here in the Granite State are trying to ban access to safe, legal abortion. We will not stand for this -- not now, not ever. The vast majority of Granite Staters support abortion rights, and we will fight to protect abortion access no matter what. PPNHAF stands with people across America today in opposing these unconscionable attacks on our reproductive rights.”

Background on June Medical Services v Russo:

• In 2016, the Supreme Court already ruled in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt that hospital admitting privilege requirements are unnecessary and unconstitutional. The only difference today is the make up of the court with newly appointed Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch hearing arguments for the first time in an abortion rights case. 

• Medical experts including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Medical Association (AMA) agree that hospital admitting privilege requirements have nothing to do with patient health or safety.

• These medically unnecessary abortion restrictions run counter to what the majority of Americans want. In fact, a record-high 77 percent of Americans say they do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned, and there is no state in this country where making abortion illegal is popular.

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Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) is the largest provider of reproductive and sexual health care for women, men and young people across the State of New Hampshire. We serve New Hampshire residents through 6 health centers in Claremont, Derry, Exeter, Keene, Manchester and White River Junction, VT. In 2018, we saw nearly 14,000 patients at these sites.

Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund (PPNHAF) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in New Hampshire. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy. The Action Fund makes independent expenditures on behalf of or in opposition to targeted candidates for public office. PPNHAF maintains a separate, segregated political committee and fund to make direct campaign contributions to endorsed candidates (the PAC).