December 12, 2023
It’s a busy time in the realm of modern lawfare. In just this week alone, three separate state Supreme Courts will hear cases about abortion restrictions, according to reporting by NPR. The Supreme Court of Texas handed down a recent ruling that prevented a pregnant woman from ending her pregnancy prematurely to ensure she can have more children.
Additionally, Attorney Generals in several Republican states are battling against deceptive, pro-abortion language making its way onto election ballots in 2024. According to Fox News:
“The comments by the three Republican attorney generals come after Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion access into their constitution in a vote that pro-life groups say was swayed by misleading ads from the abortion industry and vague language that they say goes even farther than Roe v. Wade did.”
Across America, it seems that nobody calls their lawyers more than the abortion lobby does. But let’s break down each of the largest looming Supreme Court cases and what is expected to happen.
Arizona
Depending on which way the Ariz. Supreme Court rules on Planned Parenthood vs. Kris Mayes/Hazelrigg, either a 2022 measure that allowed more than nine in 10 abortions to take place by legalizing abortion up to 15 weeks will be instated, or a pre-Roe law that limits abortion earlier in pregnancy will. Students for Life Action (SFLAction) will be rallying outside the state Supreme Courthouse in support of preserving laws that authentically protect preborn life.
Additionally, according to the AP news report:
“Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said she will not prosecute doctors for performing abortions. And Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order to give Mayes – not county attorneys – the final say when it comes to abortion.
Whatever the court decides, abortion advocates are already pursuing a 2024 ballot measure that would enshrine the right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution.”
As covered in a separate SFLAction blog detailing the upcoming ballot initiatives for 2024, this process is already underway.
New Mexico
The N.M. Supreme Court will hear arguments later this week about whether numerous local ordinances passed by Republican city councils and townships restricting abortion practices, are legal and allowed to remain in place. Since this process began, more and more local townships have passed similar ordinances, according to reporting by NPR:
“The stakes could be higher than just access to reproductive health care in New Mexico. All the local ordinances cite a 150-year-old federal law known as the Comstock Act, which prohibits the mailing of anything that could be used to induce abortion.”
READ: Life Will Prevail in New Mexico
Wyoming
The state constitution of Wyoming allows for people to make their own healthcare decisions – but abortion doesn’t qualify as healthcare. Or at least, that’s the question that the State Supreme court is being asked to weigh in on. According to reporting by NPR:
“The state Supreme Court is hearing arguments over whether to allow two Republican state lawmakers and anti-abortion group Right to Life Wyoming to intervene in the case.
“Teton County Judge Melissa Owens combined separate challenges to the laws into one case.” temporarily blocked earlier this year. Teton County Judge Melissa Owens combined separate challenges to the laws into one case.”
As it stands right now, abortion is legal in Wyoming, but it’s limited with only two facilities in the state operating with one shutting down next week.
TO SEE WHERE ELSE ABORTION BATTLES WILL BE FOUGHT IN 2024, CLICK HERE.