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Justice John Roberts Joins Supreme Court Liberals to Block Louisiana Pro-Life Law From Taking Effect

Calvin Freiburger : Feb 8, 2019
LifeSiteNews.com

The Court's decision could be a grim omen for current Supreme Court precedent on abortion, of which the Hellerstedt ruling was seen as a major victory by pro-abortion activists and a new low for judicial activism by pro-lifers.

(Washington, DC)—[Lifesitenews.com] The US Supreme Court has voted five to four to block the implementation of a Louisiana law requiring basic health and safety standards for abortion facilities, potentially hinting at the justices' disposition to affirm a key pro-abortion ruling from 2016. (Photo: via LifeSiteNews)

Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh indicated they would have denied the application and therefore allowed the pro-life law to go into effect. The Supreme Court still may take the case, in which case it would be heard sometime after October, but in the meantime, the law mandating abortion facilities uphold basic safety standards remains blocked.

Justice John Roberts, previously thought of as a reliable pro-life justice, joined his liberal colleagues in preventing the law from taking effect pending a ruling on the decision.

Kavanaugh dissented from the grant of application for a stay, focusing largely on technical points.

If the Supreme Court does end up taking the case, it seems likely Roberts will be the deciding vote. If the Supreme Court ultimately decides not to take the case, then the stay will be lifted and the pro-life law will go into effect.

In September, a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in favor of Act 620, the state's law requiring abortion centers to make arrangements for admitting women to hospitals within 30 miles in cases of life-threatening complications, and ordered a lawsuit against the law dismissed, reversing a previous ruling by a federal judge in Baton Rouge. Earlier in January the full Fifth Circuit rejected an appeal to rehear the case, and attorneys representing abortionists filed a petition with the Supreme Court, SCOTUS blog reports... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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