Illinois Right to Life Files Amicus Brief with U.S. Supreme Court in Support of Louisiana Abortion Regulation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Megan Reznicek
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312-422-9300

ILLINOIS RIGHT TO LIFE FILES AMICUS BRIEF WITH U.S. SUPREME COURT IN SUPPORT OF LOUISIANA ABORTION REGULATION

JANUARY 15, 2020 — (CHICAGO) Earlier this month, Illinois Right to Life (IRL) submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in preparation for the court case of June Medical Services v. Gee.

In the brief, Illinois Right to Life, with the help of Thomas More Society attorneys, first argued that in light of recent scientific and legal developments which establish fetuses as human persons, Roe and its progeny have become obsolete.

Second, IRL defended the constitutionality of Act 620, arguing that “since a human fetus is a human being, Act 620 should be sustained as a reasonable protection of a preborn person under the Fourteenth Amendment.”

As IRL’s Program Director Dr. Steven Andrew Jacobs, J.D., Ph.D., explained, Illinois Right to Life is invested in this upcoming court battle because “we have been dedicated to educating the public, legislative bodies, and the judiciary on advances in scientific research relating to fetal development since 1968.”

Dr. Jacobs further remarked: “Recent research establishing biologists’ consensus view that a human’s life begins at fertilization (96%) shows that Roe v. Wade‘s factual underpinnings have changed, as the Court previously presumed that there was no consensus on when life begins. Given biologists’ consensus view and our 2020 report of over 100 scientific sources affirming the view that a fetus is a human at fertilization, it is clear that the science is settled. Since Supreme Court Justices have consistently held that fetal rights are guaranteed if it can be shown that a fetus is a human, it is now time for the Court to follow precedent and overturn Roe v. Wade.”

The upcoming Supreme Court case is centered around the Louisiana Law (Act 620) that requires abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Opponents claim that similar to the court’s binding precedent in Whole Woman’s Health, this Louisiana law places an undue burden upon women and is therefore unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court is expected to conduct the oral argument session on March 4th, 2020.

For more information, you can read the full amicus brief here.

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Illinois Right to Life is the leading pro-life educational organization in the state of Illinois. IRL educates Illinois residents on the value and sanctity of
all human life from conception to natural death.