US abortion activists fail to overturn pro-life laws

Lawsuits launched by abortion activists in Nebraska and Texas to overturn protections for the unborn have failed.

In July, the Nebraska Supreme Court struck down a claim by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that a law banning abortions after twelve weeks violated state rules.

And in May, judges in Texas rejected an attempt by the Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) to liberalise the state’s pro-life laws.

Law upheld

In Nebraska, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and ACLU sought to derail legislation that banned abortion after the first trimester.

The abortion activists claimed that as it was combined with a measure outlawing sex-swap surgery for children, it violated a state rule limiting Bills to a single subject.

But in a majority decision, the Nebraska Supreme Court voted to uphold the law, finding that both measures could be legitimately combined under a broad Bill addressing the “one general object” of medical care.

Lawsuit rejected

Texas operates under a near-total ban, with abortions only permitted if necessitated by a life-threatening “medical emergency”.

CRR filed a lawsuit asking the court to give doctors “wide discretion” on what circumstances qualify as a “medical emergency”. CRR argued that the state’s constitution “protects the right to obtain an abortion” for “health-threatening” as well as life-threatening conditions.

The Texas Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit, finding no “constitutional justification” for amending the law.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson recently signed into law a Bill to defund the abortion industry. Governor Parson said the Bill would ensure “we are not sending taxpayer dollars to abortion providers for any purpose”.

Legal challenges

Planned Parenthood performed 392,715 abortions in 2022-23.

According to its annual report ‘Above and Beyond’, the abortion giant and its affiliates also funded over 98,000 women to help cover the cost of their abortion or travel to a centre.

At the time of its publication, the organisation boasted that its lawyers were seeking to challenge pro-life protections in sixteen states.