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Neil Gorsuch on Abortion
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Ok for states to require hospital nearby abortion service
The Supreme Court blocked Louisiana from enforcing a law that women's groups said would leave only a single doctor legally allowed to perform abortions in the state. By a 5-4 vote, the court said the restrictions must remain on hold while challengers
appeal a lower court decision in favor of the law.The vote was not a ruling on the legal merits of the restriction, but the decision to keep the law on hold signals that a majority of the justices have doubts about its constitutionality. Passed by
the state legislature in 2014, the measure requires any doctor offering abortion services to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. Plaintiffs argued that it was identical to a Texas law the Supreme Court struck down in 2016, in which
the court said Texas imposed an obstacle on women seeking access to abortion services without providing them any medical benefits. Plaintiffs said Louisiana's law would leave only one doctor at a single clinic in New Orleans to perform the procedure.
Source: NBC News on 2019 SCOTUS case: "June Medical vs. Louisiana"
, Feb 7, 2019
Let Hobby Lobby skip contraceptives on religious grounds
Gorsuch hasn't written a ruling specifically dealing with Roe v. Wade, but he is known to have strong opinions on religious liberty, a view that appeals to many conservatives. He has sided, for example, with religious employers seeking to limit their
employees' rights to contraception coverage in health care insurance, as dictated under the Affordable Care Act.
In Hobby Lobby Stores v. Sebelius, in June 2013, the 10th Circuit ordered the federal government to stop enforcement of the federal mandate against Hobby Lobby, the Oklahoma-based Christian chain of retail arts and crafts stores.
In his concurrence, Gorsuch highlighted that the contraception mandate substantially burdened the company's religious exercise. The Supreme Court later upheld the 10th Circuit decision in the case.
Source: Newsweek magazine on SCOTUS confirmation hearings
, Jan 27, 2017
Page last updated: Mar 21, 2022