Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a Texas abortion law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges in nearby hospitals may indicate trouble for a similar Louisiana law before a federal judge—at least Louisiana Right to Life thinks so.
The Associated Press reports the group’s legislative director says even though the Supreme Court’s decision doesn’t invalidate Louisiana’s law—which requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of their clinic—it doesn’t “predict a favorable forecast for its future.”
The high court voted 5-3 striking down the Texas law requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and required clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery. The law led to the closures of many abortion clinics across Texas.
The majority opinion, written by Justice Stephen Breyer, held that the regulations are medically unnecessary and unconstitutionally limit women’s right to abortions.
AP also quotes Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry as saying Louisiana’s law differs from Texas, and today’s ruling is heavily based on what happened in Texas. Meanwhile, Gov. John Bel Edwards says health and safety were two of the reasons behind the state’s law.
