SG
Murrill: Women deserve better than incompetent providers who put profits over
people
BATON ROUGE, LA - Attorney General Jeff Landry filed Louisiana’s legal
brief in defense of Act 620, the State’s common-sense admitting privileges law,
today at the United States Supreme Court.
“Louisiana’s brief outlines the documented evidence of Louisiana abortion
clinics’ poor safety records, inadequate credentialing practices,
and efforts to undermine health and safety regulations designed to protect
women,” said Attorney General Landry. “We strongly urge the Court to recognize
that this evidence shows the abortion clinics’ interests are directly adverse
to the interests of Louisiana women.”
“We are hopeful that the Court will agree that incompetent and unsafe
providers should not be allowed to challenge health and safety standards
designed to protect women from those very providers,” added Attorney General
Landry. “I once again thank Representative Katrina Jackson for her authorship
of this common-sense, pro-woman legislation and Solicitor General Liz Murrill
for her vigorous defense of the health and safety of Louisiana women.”
Solicitor General Murrill highlighted the necessity of the admitting
privileges measure, the huge differences from this case and the previously
argued Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, and real effects of
third-party standing.
“Women
deserve better than incompetent providers who put profits over people,” said
Solicitor General Murrill. “Louisiana is not Texas, and our case is
distinguishable from Hellerstedt; our facts, our evidence, and our
generally applicable medical standards are all different. This bipartisan
legislation is necessary because Louisiana abortion providers have a long
documented history of medical malpractice, disciplinary actions, and violations
of health and safety standards.”
“The doctrine of third party standing in abortion litigation hurts women
and girls; this is judge-made law that lets the fox guard the henhouse,”
concluded Solicitor General Murrill. “It permits abortion providers to co-opt
women’s voices in service of their own profit-driven agenda seeking to block
common-sense regulations and lower health care standards.”
You can read Louisiana’s brief below.
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Act 620 aligned abortion providers with other professional and
regulatory licensing laws in Louisiana. The law requires abortion
providers be able to admit patients to a nearby hospital in the event of
complications. It passed the Louisiana Legislature in 2014 by an 88-5 vote in
the House of Representatives and a 34-3 vote in the Senate. Act 620 was previously upheld by
the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.