NYSBA President Says U.S. Supreme Court Flagrantly Disregarded Precedent in Texas Abortion Ruling
9.3.2021
T. Andrew Brown, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement today about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let stand a Texas law that bans abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy:
“The Texas law that deprives women of their right to privacy to make the very personal decision about whether to have an abortion was enacted in flagrant disregard of the U.S. Supreme Court’s precedent and the rule of law. The Texas Legislature deliberately tried to evade judicial scrutiny and survive a constitutional challenge of the law by empowering private citizens, in place of government officials, to sue abortion providers and anyone who assists a woman in obtaining an abortion after about six weeks into the term of a pregnancy.
“If there is one saving grace in the ruling it is that it was in response to an emergency application to block the law and not a determination of its constitutionality. However, this is of no help to women in Texas who deserve their constitutionally-protected right to privacy established in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. We sincerely hope the U.S. Supreme Court will be guided by precedent, not ideology, when it next rules on abortion, as the concept of equality is hollow if individuals are denied the right to control their own bodies.”
About the New York Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, the Association has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers and others through advocacy and guidance.
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Contact: Susan DeSantis
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