Abortion

The Supreme Court Showers Us With More Good News

Written by SK Ashby

The consequences of yesterday's Supreme Court decision striking down restrictions on access to abortion in Texas are already being felt.

Yesterday's ruling means similar cases that could have been reviewed by the court will never make it that far. The court rejected two challenges this morning that involved restrictions similar to those imposed in Texas.

The state governments of Mississippi and Wisconsin have been sent packing.

In November 2015, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Wisconsin law.

In the Mississippi case, a federal district court judge issued a temporary injunction in 2012 blocking the law because it would have forced women seeking abortions to go out of state. The same judge issued a second injunction in 2013, which was upheld by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2014.

Rather than review these cases, the Supreme Court chose to affirm the lower court rulings. This could significantly reduce the chance that future challenges will make it all the way to the Supreme Court because district court judges will be increasingly skeptical of the arguments made by opponents of abortion.

But wait, that's not all.

The Supreme Court has also rejected a conservative challenge of a Washington state law requiring pharmacies to provide contraception.

The justices' order on Tuesday leaves in place rules first adopted in 2007 following reports that some women had been denied access to emergency contraceptives that are effective when taken within a few days of unprotected sex. Pharmacies must fill lawful prescriptions, but individual pharmacists with moral objections can refer patients to another pharmacist at the same store.

This has been a very rough week for social movement conservatives but, unfortunately, the wave of good news is coming to an end. Today was the last day of the Supreme Court's current session

The court's next session will begin in October.