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NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s Response to June Medical Services LLC v. Russo Decision

For Immediate Release: June 29, 2020

Contact: [email protected]

NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s Response to June Medical Services LLC v. Russo Decision

Washington — Today, the Supreme Court struck down June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, holding the line to keep clinics in Louisiana giving safe accessible abortion care. The Justices 5-4 vote saw the medically unnecessary admitting privileges law as unconstitutional. Though we have much to celebrate with the court’s decision, we continue to advocate for abortion care to be accessible to every body.

In response, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington’s Executive Director Kirsten Harris-Talley released the following statement:

“In this moment, as Covid-19 continues to deepen inequities to healthcare access and our country begins to truly grapple with the realities of racism; it is more important than ever to fight for reproductive freedom for every body; especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. The Supreme Court’s decision is a win for patients in Louisiana and we are pleased that the Court sided with truth and fact-based decision making. We stand with community to continue our work to hold the line for safe, accessible, and affordable abortion rights.” – Kirsten Harris-Talley, Executive Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington

“While we know this is victory, Chief Justice Roberts left room for more attacks on abortion with his decision. Reproductive freedom for all is still in the hands of too many anti-choice extremists who will stop at nothing to criminalize patients and doctors in order to push their agenda. There will be more attacks on reproductive freedom; which is why we will not back down. We will show them what we are capable of in November. Let’s protect and expand on our pro-choice majority in the legislature.” – Lillian Lanier, Political Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington

June Medical Service LLC v. Russo was a challenge to a dangerous Louisiana law that required doctors to have medically unnecessary admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Abortion access is already extremely restricted in Louisiana, and upholding this legislation would have been a direct blow to patients and their families across the state and would have opened the doors to similarly restrictive laws across the country.

Four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a near-identical ruling in the decision of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, where a similar clinic shut down the law was struck down in Texas. Brett Kavanaugh was Trump’s most recent Court confirmation and we have now seen that he is voting in favor of overturning precedent and is out to attack abortion rights. These types of restrictive laws are based on disinformation and endorsed by the anti-choice movement that asserts that restrictions on abortion like this help women, even though there is no proven medical benefit to mandating hospital admitting privileges.

While NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is hopeful about the Court’s decision, we know we must continue to push for legislation and election of reproductive champions who will expand abortion access across the state. The right to abortion is not a real right without access to care and resources to pay for services. Black, Brown, Indigenous, low-income, LGBTQ+, and rural communities continue to face barriers to abortion access, regardless of abortion laws due to systemic racism, discrimination, stigma, economic hardship, and delays in care. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is committed to continuing to advocate for all communities in Washington to get the timely reproductive, abortion and birthing care they need.

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NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Washington state, and we believe that every woman should be able to make personal decisions about the full range of reproductive health options. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the state affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

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Commentary

June Medical Services v. Russo: FAQs

We are still waiting to hear what the Supreme Court will decide about the future of abortion access in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo. This is the first abortion case since Kavanaugh was confirmed to the court. So much is at stake right now and we want to make sure everyone knows exactly how this case can impact abortion access across the nation.  Below are the top questions that we are asked about this case that is before the Supreme Court.   What is June Medical Services v. Russo? It is a case before the Supreme Court that challenges a dangerous clinic shutdown law (also known as a TRAP law) in Louisiana that would require doctors to medically unnecessary admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.    What is a TRAP/clinic shutdown law? A TRAP law/clinic shutdown law is a law that is medically unnecessary. The anti-choice movement advocates for these laws to restrict abortion providers and clinics from providing care by forcing clinics to comply with these unnecessary and burdensome regulations or shut down. An admitting privileges law is a type of TRAP law. It has been proven that it provides no medical benefit to the patient. Requiring admitting privileges does not make patients safer but, rather reduces access to abortion by preventing providers and clinics from offering care.   Did the Supreme Court hear a case just like this in 2016? Yes, they did! The Louisiana admitting privileges law is identical to the unconstitutional Texas law that the Court struck down in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. The Supreme Court ruled that admitting privileges laws serve no other purpose than to make accessing abortion more difficult. However, the difference between then and now is that we have Kavanaugh tipping the Court to a conservative majority.   What will happen if the Supreme Court approves of this Louisiana law? We want you to know that no matter what happens, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington will never stop fighting to ensure reproductive freedom is for every body in Washington state. If the Supreme Court upholds this Louisiana law, it would devastate abortion access in the state of Louisiana and nationwide when anti-choice politicians pass copycat restrictions across the country.    What can we do in Washington do? Make sure to continue to elect reproductive freedom champions in the Washington State legislature come November. While abortion access is under attack at the national level, we need to do all we can to hold the line in our state.    Is there anything else we can do? When a case like this is at the Supreme Court, it's always helpful to let people know that we’re in a critical moment for reproductive freedom and that they can get involved by talking to their friends and family and doing things like posting on social media. And if you haven't already donated to support NARAL in the fight to ensure reproductive freedom is for every body, everywhere, you can pitch in here!

Commentary

In solidarity with Black Lives, Defund the police

NARAL stands with Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County’s statewide policy demands, especially the top priority to defund the police. These policy demands are critical steps towards ending systems of white supremacy and creating equity across communities. Budgets reflect our priorities.  The call to defund the police is a call for investment in the urgent needs that disproportionately impact Black communities including healthcare access, education, social services, and more. Through investment, we can work to make sure every person, every parent, and every family is able to thrive. The list of demands put forward is a response to hundreds of years of systemic oppression and the failure of reforms to address urgent needs and injustices. The call to defund the police comes after multiple attempts to change the culture of policing, which has failed Black communities and Black people. There can be no reproductive freedom without freedom from state violence and oppression.  Each and every person should have the freedom to chart their own reproductive destinies — to decide if, when, and how to start, grow, and raise a family and to be able to raise their families in safe, healthy environments, free from state violence and systemic oppression. Racism is a public health crisis that preserves a culture of white supremacy and is central to reproductive oppression Black women are four times more likely to die from childbirth than white women (Source) and abortion rates in the Black community are 5 higher than in white communities (Source), we know that systemic racism is prevalent in our health care systems and that the Black community is disproportionately impacted by barriers to abortion care.

  • NARAL is a historically white-led organization. As we follow the lead of Black leaders on dismantling racism in the world, we know we need to do more to dismantle the systems of racism in our own organization. 
    • We are listening, learning, and reflecting on the experience of allies, members, current and former staff, and board members to make good on our commitment to anti-racism. 
    • We know this requires daily discipline to live our values through our internal culture, our external campaign priorities, and our alliances within the progressive movement.