207 Members of Congress Urge Supreme Court to Reconsider Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court is expected to rule shortly on the constitutionality of a Louisiana abortion law, requiring that physicians performing abortions must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. The law was passed in 2014 and is designed to protect patients who may face emergency medical situations while undergoing an abortion procedure. The legislation was written by pro-life Democrat state Representative Katrina Jackson.

In March of 2020, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case June Medical Services v. Gee, according to the Hill. 

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise filed an amicus “friend of the court” brief supporting the Louisiana law. The amicus brief was signed by 2017 members of Congress, including 168 members of the House of Representatives and 39 members of the United States Senate.

The brief requests the Supreme Court to re-examine laws like the 1973 ruling passed down in Roe v. Wade and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision.

“Forty-six years after Roe was decided, it remains a radically unsettled precedent,” the lawmakers wrote in an amicus brief.

“Amici respectfully suggest that the court’s struggle—similar to dozens of other courts’ herculean struggles in this area—illustrates the unworkability of the ‘right to abortion’ found in Roe and the need for the Court to take up the issue of whether Roe should be reconsidered and, if appropriate, overruled,” the lawmakers wrote.

Two pro-life Democrats signed the brief along with the Republicans: Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Rep. Daniel Lipinski of Illinois.

Recent studies show that public opinion is on the side of the pro-life movement. A 2019 Gallup Poll found that the majority of Americans are opposed to abortion. In fact, 60% of Americans think most or all abortions should be made illegal. The Gallup Poll is consistent with other polls on the pro life/abortion topic. Other recent polls have revealed similar findings. A recent survey showed that the majority of Americans think that bans on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected are not to restrictive, according to The Hill. The Gallup Poll also found that fifty percent of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong, and another poll out of Harvard University found that only six percent of Americans think abortions should be legal “up until the birth of the child,” with only eight percent stating that they should be permitted up to the third trimester. The Harvard University poll also found that a majority of Americans want the egregious Roe v. Wade case revisited by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court should pay attention when 207 members of Congress urge the Court to revisit the Roe v. Wade decision.