GOP states take abortion shield laws to US Supreme Court

Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to abortion “shield laws” in California, Massachusetts and New York.

The attorneys general of the three Republican states argue that the shield laws, which protect providers who prescribe abortion pills across state lines, undermine their own abortion bans and infringe on state sovereignty.

Federal regulations currently permit telehealth prescriptions for abortion medication to be filled by mail, and the GOP states seek to block the pills and punish out‑of‑state providers who send them.

Attorney General Steve Marshall of Alabama said the states need to enforce their laws against providers who knowingly facilitate abortions that are illegal in their jurisdictions.

New York Attorney General Letitia James responded that the three states are attempting to impose their bans on New York and punish doctors providing legal health care under the shield laws.

The Supreme Court can hear disputes between states directly, though it does so rarely. If it takes the case, it could bypass ongoing lawsuits in lower courts.

Source: ABC News. Photo: Mark Stebnicki / Pexels.