Court upholds Louisiana law to protect women from unsafe abortion clinic practices

A federal court has upheld a Louisiana law that mandates abortion facilities must meet basic health and safety policies, according to published reports.

What happened?

A panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stated there is no evidence the law will restrict women’s access to abortion, as abortion activists had claimed, The Hill reported.

Under the 2014 law, abortion providers must have hospital admitting privileges, so patients can receive proper care for emergency complications.

Shortly after the law went into place, the Louisiana abortion facility Hope Medical Group for Women and the Center for Reproductive Rights launched legal challenges, reports state.

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar law in Texas, arguing that it could restrict a woman’s access to abortion. The 5th Circuit noted that the Louisiana law is different because it did not “impose substation burden on a large fraction of women,” Life News reported.

What are people saying?

Dorinda Bordlee, senior counsel of Bioethics Defense Fund, said the Supreme Court ruling on the Texas law was “unjust,” and the 5th Circuit ruling is a huge win for women, Life News reported.

“The abortion industry has failed in its attempt to use the federal courts to undermine customary health standards for women who are physically injured by the known medical risks of abortion, such as uterine puncture or cervical tearing,” Bordlee said. “This pro-woman, pro-life legislation recognizes the reality that abortion endangers the lives of both women and children.”

The ruling is a victory for women’s health and safety, Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, said of the ruling.

“[T]he goal of requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals was always about protecting women by ensuring the continuity of care in cases of emergency,” Clapper said. “Our law should never create special loopholes so that abortion facilities can operate in a sub-standard manner.”

Pro-abortion groups have not said if they will appeal.