September 8, 2021
Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney
General Aaron D. Ford joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an
amicus brief in Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Wilson arguing that
South Carolina’s pre-viability abortion restrictions harm women’s health care
as a whole and a lower court’s ruling blocking the law should be upheld.
Additionally, the coalition also argues that the collective impact of numerous
states across the country enacting restrictive abortion laws, or eliminating
access to abortions, harms health care nationwide.
“Like Texas, South
Carolina has directly attacked the constitutional reproductive rights of its
residents, who must be allowed to access safe and legal abortions,” said AG
Ford. “Women must be allowed to make their own decisions when it comes to
their health care and bodily autonomy. Our office will not sit on the sidelines
and watch as these shameful attacks on necessary health care continue.”
In February 2021, South
Carolina passed the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion
Act that prohibits abortions upon the detection of an embryonic cardiac
activity, effectively banning abortion after six weeks. Immediately following
the passage of the Act, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic filed suit seeking a
temporary injunction, which the federal district court granted.
In their amicus brief, the
coalition argues that access to safe and legal abortion is an essential
component of women’s health care and restrictive abortion laws, like the South
Carolina law, lead to worse health outcomes for women. The coalition also
argues that laws banning abortion after the detection of a fetal cardiac
activity have harmful spillover effects on miscarriage treatment and other
health care needs.
Additionally, AG Ford and his
colleagues argue that the restrictions the Act places on women could also
threaten residents of neighboring states as well as those states’ health care
systems, explaining, “South Carolina’s restrictive abortion laws will cause its
citizens to seek abortion care in [neighboring states], potentially straining
their health care systems.” The coalition further says, “[g]iven that numerous
states across the country have enacted similarly restrictive or more
restrictive legislation than South Carolina’s Act…[and] [i]f access to safe and
lawful abortions were banned in large geographic portions of the country, it
would create vast “abortion deserts” in which access to abortion care may be
unobtainable for many people due to the obstacles created by the sheer distance
from lawful abortion care.”
In addition to Nevada, other states
joining the amicus brief include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii,
Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, and the District of Columbia.
The amicus brief is
attached.