The Supreme Court Is Hearing a New Case on Abortion: The Decision Could Impact Women for a Generation

The Supreme Court Is Hearing a New Case on Abortion. The Decision Could Impact Women for a Generation. On March 4, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo, in which Hope Medical Group for Women is a plaintiff. What's at stake in the Supreme Court's Louisiana abortion case represents the first major abortion case before the nation’s highest court since President Donald Trump’s two justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, joined the bench. The court’s decision could impact how safely women can access abortion in the U.S.

Hope Medical Group for Women

Located in a squat, unassuming building in Shreveport, Louisiana, Hope is one of three abortion clinics left in the state. It’s locked in a legal battle with the state and anti-abortion groups that has launched both sides into a national fight over women’s rights to an abortion. Kathaleen Pittman, who has been at Hope since 1992 and is now the clinic’s administrator, likes to leave the door of her office open at the end of the day. “Aside from the craziness, I absolutely still love this work,” Pittman says. However, Pittman may not be able to do that work much longer, as the decision in this case and the fate of Hope Medical Group for Women is expected to be a bellwether for the future of women’s right to choose.

The Legal Challenges at Stake

At issue are two legal questions: the validity of a Louisiana law that requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, and, more broadly, whether abortion providers like Hope have the right to go to court over laws like this one that restrict their services. If the Louisiana law is allowed to stand, Hope might have to close its doors because only one doctor working there would be able to practice, impacting thousands of women who pass by Pittman’s door every year.

The second question could have even wider implications. Stemming largely from a 1976 Supreme Court decision, abortion providers have been allowed to sue on behalf of their patients. But Louisiana’s Solicitor General Liz Murrill wants to change that and has asked the Supreme Court to rule that only women seeking abortions can sue. If the court rules in favor of the state, it would make it much more difficult to challenge restrictive abortion laws nationwide.

Impact and Environment

“The stakes are extraordinarily high,” says Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Bringing these questions before the Supreme Court is part of a broader pattern of conservatives’ efforts to roll back abortion access in the U.S. Over the years working at Hope, Pittman has seen plenty of animosity directed at her and her colleagues by anti-abortion activists. She’s watched a makeshift Molotov cocktail that was lobbed at the building fizzle out on the sidewalk and has been evacuated when a suspicious backpack was left unattended in the yard. “We always have to be careful and watchful,” she says.

Summary of the Case and Potential Consequences

• Case Name: June Medical Services v. Russo
• Primary Requirement: Doctors must have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
• Legal Question: Whether abortion providers can sue on behalf of their patients.
• Potential Outcome: Closure of Louisiana clinics and significant effects on litigation in several states.