LINCOLN, Neb. – Today the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion care providers. The justices determined that the law’s medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion care would unconstitutionally limit access to that care, affirming longstanding Supreme Court precedent protecting the right to abortion care.
ACLU of Nebraska Legal and Policy Counsel Scout Richters said the decision once again affirms that people have a right to abortion care without facing undue burdens to access that care. The decision comes as Nebraska state senators consider whether or not they will revisit an abortion method ban when the Nebraska Legislature reconvenes next month with just a few weeks remaining in their current session.
“Like any deeply personal medical situation, decisions about abortion care belong to patients and their physicians – not politicians,” Richters said. “Instead of trying to push care out of reach, state lawmakers should be working together to expand access to quality, affordable reproductive health care, including abortion, contraception, prenatal care and preventative screenings. Bottom line, the law is clear. People have a right to make health care decisions that are best for themselves and their families and the ACLU of Nebraska will continue to work to dismantle unnecessary, politically-motivated barriers that undermine Nebraskans’ agency and harm their health.”
Nebraskans already face many barriers to accessing abortion care. The Guttmacher Institute, a national reproductive health research organization, lists Nebraska as one of 22 states that are hostile or very hostile to abortion rights.
