Columbus — Today, the US Supreme Court ruled in June Medical Center v. Russo, affirming the court’s own precedent established in 2016. Abortion services in Louisiana will be preserved for almost one million people of reproductive age across that state. While this case does not have a direct connection to Ohio abortion restrictions, it could have a an impact on cases currently pending in court.
Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland): “We must begin by recognizing racism as a public health crisis that impacts every aspect of people’s lives. But we can’t stop there. We are driven by our love, our compassion, and our commitment to justice. We will continue to fight to ensure that everyone has access to the healthcare they need, in their communities, without delay, stigma or shame. Now more than ever we need a society that leads with compassion and puts our families’ health, safety, and real-life needs first.”
Tam Nickerson, Preterm: “Independent clinics like Preterm and Hope Medical Clinic for Women in Louisiana hold patients at the center of everything we do. Every day, I talk with our patients about their lives, struggles, and realities. We work with our patients to ensure that each person is treated with respect and receives the highest quality healthcare, while politicians seek to undermine that relationship. Today’s Supreme Court ruling ensures that clinics can keep providing care for the patients that trust us. But it’s not enough to keep things as they are. Systemic attacks on abortion have impacted the number of clinics open across Ohio and the country, and these attacks will not stop with today’s ruling. Ohio politicians are considering many anti-abortion measures in session right now. Fortunately, today’s ruling will allow us to continue serving our patients and fighting for a world where abortion and reproductive healthcare access are even more available without shame or stigma.”
Sha’Tisha Young, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, Digital Organizing Council: “Now is the time for our state leaders to make bold changes in the way health care is delivered, health care access is supported, and communities are policed to start breaking down the structures of racism that have formed the foundation of so many of the policies in our state and nation.”
Alana Garrett-Ferguson, New Voices for Reproductive Justice: “Black women and folx continue to be at the forefront of the fight for abortion access while we simultaneously lead uprisings in Ohio and across this nation to end anti-Black racism and gender-based violence. Our Reproductive Justice movement compels us to fight against restrictive abortion laws and to bring the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor to justice.”
The June Medical Center v. Russo lawsuit is a challenge to a Louisiana law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. In Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt in 2016, the Court struck down an identical restriction imposed by Texas, ruling that admitting privileges requirements are unconstitutional because they shut down abortion clinics without providing any health or safety benefits to patients.