Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, criticized today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo.
“This decision is disappointing and wrong-headed,” said Moore. “The Louisiana law was directed toward the simple goal of protecting women from danger by placing the most minimal restrictions possible on an abortion industry that insists on laissez-faire for itself and its profits. Nonetheless, we will continue to seek an America where vulnerable persons, including unborn children and their mothers, are seen as precious, not disposable.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 in favor of the abortion industry. The opinion written by Justice Stephen Breyer held that Louisiana’s law, which was designed to protect the women from the health risks associated with unsafe abortion practices, is unconstitutional. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a concurring opinion, arguing that the Court’s decision was controlled by the 2016 case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstadt, which struck down a Texas statute similar to that passed in Louisiana.
The ERLC filed an amicus brief in this case along with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Jan. 2 that urged the high court to uphold the Louisiana law intended to protect women who suffer complications from abortion. We argued the “undue burden” test is the incorrect standard for laws that regulate abortion doctors and that Louisiana’s Unsafe Abortion Protection Act is “a valid exercise of Louisiana’s authority to enact reasonable health-and-safety measures.”
The ERLC will continue to defend the human dignity of the unborn and vulnerable communities in the U.S. Congress and legislatures around the country to expose and disrupt the predatory and unsafe practices of the abortion industry. In addition, we will continue to defend these kinds of legitimate laws in court.
