In a 5-4 decision handed down Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law requiring all abortion providers in the state to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
Many of Alabama’s Republican elected officials responded with various forms of disappointment about the ruling.
U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-Saks) said he was very frustrated the Supreme Court had struck down, in his view, a “commonsense law [that] sought to protect the health and safety of women and their unborn babies.”
“This reckless decision is just further evidence of activist judges pursuing their political agenda,” he argued.
Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), long a staunch pro-life advocate, remarked, “To say this decision by the Supreme Court is extremely disappointing is an understatement. The Court’s ruling sides in favor of abortion providers rather than the health of the women they claim to care for.”
Aderholt also pointed out that Louisiana law had enjoyed bipartisan support, including from Governor John-Bel Edwards, a Democrat.
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement saying, “The Supreme Court’s abortion decision today is another disappointment for the law and a failure to protect the constitutional rights of unborn children.”
He continued, “Again, Chief Justice Roberts’s attempts to keep the Supreme Court from making controversial decisions have interfered with his commitment to be a neutral umpire who calls balls and strikes. He should rule on the law, and nothing more. I am disappointed in today’s ruling, but I proud of my proven pro-life record and will continue to fight to protect the unborn, defund Planned Parenthood, and approve commonsense judges to the federal bench.”
Current AL-02 candidate and former State Representative Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) issued a statement that said in part, “I’m disappointed, especially in Chief Justice Roberts, for this blatantly political decision. The Chief Justice held the opposite opinion just four years ago when a virtually identical Texas law was before the court. Now it looks like he’s changed his opinion purely to keep the coastal elites happy at the expense of the unborn, and those women who suffer complications during an abortion.”
Alabama State Representative Wes Allen (R-Troy) tweeted, “Chief Justice Roberts continues to be a disappointment on the Supreme Court. His willingness to continue to support abortion is disgusting.”
State Senator Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) sponsored the Human Life Protection Act of 2019, Alabama’s strongest-in-the-nation law that would essentially ban all abortion if allowed to go into effect. Yellowhammer News reached out to see what his thoughts were on the ruling.
Chambliss responded, “I was disappointed by the anti-life ruling from the Supreme Court yesterday, and I was deeply disappointed by the statement from Justice Roberts indicating that they had to follow precedent. That’s malarkey… If they always had to follow their own precedent, many landmark civil rights rulings would have never been made and our country would still be in the dark ages. The Court needs to do their job, not hide behind an old case because it is the easy way out. Many, many more babies will be murdered due to this dereliction of duty.”
Chambliss added, “Because of the way the Alabama law was drafted, the precedent excuse is not applicable. Therefore, I remain optimistic that the Supreme Court will rule favorably once the Alabama case reaches the Court.”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
