MINNEAPOLIS — In response to today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June Medical Services v. Russo, Scott Fischbach, executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), issued the following statement:
"Louisiana's 'Unsafe Abortion Protection Act,' which the Supreme Court wrongly struck down today, merely requires that abortion practitioners meet the same standard as other physicians in outpatient surgery settings by obtaining admitting privileges at a local hospital. This bipartisan requirement helps protect women's health by ensuring continuity of care in the event of complications and by guarding against substandard and unscrupulous doctors like Louisiana's own Kevin Work.
"Today's decision is a blow to both the rule of law and the safety of women. The abortion industry should not be exempt from the safeguards that apply everywhere else, and nothing in the Constitution requires them to be.
"Here in Minnesota, the state does not require that abortion practitioners obtain admitting privileges. Nor does the state license or inspect abortion facilities—even though it licenses and inspects outpatient surgical centers, which also perform outpatient surgery. MCCL has sought in recent years to enact legislation to require abortion facility licensing.
"We are deeply disappointed that five members of the Court voted to continue to unconstitutionally dictate abortion policy. In the coming years, we hope the justices will instead faithfully apply the Constitution and allow states to enact commonsense protections for pregnant women and unborn children."