The United States Supreme Court on Monday declined to review an Arizona law that would severely limit women’s access to medication abortion, an extremely safe method of ending a pregnancy in its earliest stages. The measure will remain preliminarily blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit while the case proceeds in federal district court.
“The Court did the right thing today, but this dangerous and misguided law should never have passed in the first place. Politicians across the country should take note — these harmful and unconstitutional restrictions won’t be tolerated by the courts or the public,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Politicians are not medical experts — but politicians have written this law with the ultimate goal of making safe, legal abortion hard or even impossible to access. We are pleased that the courts are recognizing that these unconstitutional laws hurt women and block access to safe medical care.”
“By allowing to stand the Ninth Circuit’s strong decision blocking this underhanded law, the U.S. Supreme Court has ensured Arizona women will continue to have the same critical and constitutionally protected health care tomorrow that they have today,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Women who have made the decision to end a pregnancy will continue to get safe, legal care based on the expertise of their doctors, not politicians who presume to know better.”
“It is disappointing that the Supreme Court will not step in at this time,” said Arizona Speaker of the House Andy Tobin. “The law reduces the medical risk to women using the drug by simply requiring that guidelines already approved by the FDA be followed.”
Although the state law is subject to an injunction and is not in effect, the law now will have an opportunity to be heard in lower court, according to Tobin.
“Now Arizona will have the chance to prove its case at trial,” said Speaker Tobin. “I look forward to seeing compelling evidence presented in court of how this law safeguards the health of women, so that it eventually can take effect.”