Uphold Law Protecting Post-Abortive Women, Pro-Life Lawyers Urge

Pro-life attorneys will argue Monday in a federal appeals court in favor of upholding Texas’ abortion law. One issue at stake is a portion of the law that requires abortionists to have admitting privileges at a local hospital where women can be treated in the event of complications.

In October a lower court ruled to strike this requirement. The following month, Alliance Defending Freedom, Bioethics Defense Fund and Family Research Council filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in favor of the requirement. 

“The health and safety of women is more important than an abortionist’s bottom line—including the bottom line of Planned Parenthood, which is the nation’s biggest abortion seller,” said ADF Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “The fact that Planned Parenthood opposes these commonsense health requirements just proves they care more about profiting from cheap chemical abortions than about women’s health and safety.”

The joint brief in support of the law explained that medical research has shown that “admitting privileges promote both the physical and emotional well-being of patients, and may be necessary in emergency circumstances if doctors are to provide an acceptable level of care.”

The brief also notes that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the government has a “ ‘legitimate interest in seeing to it that abortion, like any other medical procedure, is performed under circumstances that insure maximum safety for the patient.’ ”

“People may hold different views about abortion, but everyone can agree that Planned Parenthood should put the safety and health of women first,” added BDF Chief Counsel Dorinda C. Bordlee. “We hope this law will be upheld so that women’s lives will not play second fiddle to Planned Parenthood’s profit margin.”