Abortion Rights Case Opens Before Supreme Court
The long-awaited case on abortion opens today at the Supreme Court where arguments will be made over a minor's abortion rights.
The long-awaited case on abortion opens today at the Supreme Court where arguments will be made over a minor's abortion rights.
Under the new leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, the case of Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood and its unpredictable outcome may signal future paths that the high court will take on the divisive issue.
The dispute will be over a New Hampshire law passed in 2003 that requires parental notification 48 hours in advance of the abortion for underage girls. Planned Parenthood, an organization which provides women and teens with access to abortions, opposes the legislation, arguing that the mother's health could be severely compromised.
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The heated case drew both abortion rights advocates and pro-life activists to the front of the court, holding signs and singing hymns, respectively, to make their stance before the argument began.
Justices of the court will consider whether the 2003 law puts an "undue burden" on a woman deciding on abortion.
One day prior to the case opening, legal experts from the Family Research Council and the Center for Reproductive Rights discussed the significance of the case with opposing arguments on the abortion rights of a minor.
Bill Sauders, a senior fellow and director for FRC's Center for Human Life and Bioethics, said that minors are not able to maturely make the decision and need a parent's guidance. If the high court overturns the New Hampshire law, an unregulated "extreme abortion license" would be granted even to minor girls, he added.
Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), however, expressed concern over the higher risk with pregnancy of teenaged girls and that the law does not contain a medical emergency exception that could spare the minor's life.
The Supreme Court has allowed for news organizations to broadcast an audio recording of the court's argument after its conclusion.
