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Louisiana Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Pro-Woman Admitting Privileges Law

SG Murrill: Women deserve better than incompetent providers who put profits over people

BATON ROUGE, LA - Attorney General Jeff Landry filed Louisiana’s legal brief in defense of Act 620, the State’s common-sense admitting privileges law, today at the United States Supreme Court.

“Louisiana’s brief outlines the documented evidence of Louisiana abortion clinics’ poor safety records, inadequate credentialing practices, and efforts to undermine health and safety regulations designed to protect women,” said Attorney General Landry. “We strongly urge the Court to recognize that this evidence shows the abortion clinics’ interests are directly adverse to the interests of Louisiana women.”

“We are hopeful that the Court will agree that incompetent and unsafe providers should not be allowed to challenge health and safety standards designed to protect women from those very providers,” added Attorney General Landry. “I once again thank Representative Katrina Jackson for her authorship of this common-sense, pro-woman legislation and Solicitor General Liz Murrill for her vigorous defense of the health and safety of Louisiana women.”

Solicitor General Murrill highlighted the necessity of the admitting privileges measure, the huge differences from this case and the previously argued Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, and real effects of third-party standing.

“Women deserve better than incompetent providers who put profits over people,” said Solicitor General Murrill. “Louisiana is not Texas, and our case is distinguishable from Hellerstedt; our facts, our evidence, and our generally applicable medical standards are all different. This bipartisan legislation is necessary because Louisiana abortion providers have a long documented history of medical malpractice, disciplinary actions, and violations of health and safety standards.”

“The doctrine of third party standing in abortion litigation hurts women and girls; this is judge-made law that lets the fox guard the henhouse,” concluded Solicitor General Murrill. “It permits abortion providers to co-opt women’s voices in service of their own profit-driven agenda seeking to block common-sense regulations and lower health care standards.”

You can read Louisiana’s brief below.

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Act 620 aligned abortion providers with other professional and regulatory licensing laws in Louisiana. The law requires abortion providers be able to admit patients to a nearby hospital in the event of complications. It passed the Louisiana Legislature in 2014 by an 88-5 vote in the House of Representatives and a 34-3 vote in the Senate. Act 620 was previously upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.