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Battles center over punitive actions some states may impose
WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down federal abortion access is setting off more court battles as states with conservative elected leaders are acting quickly to enact abortion bans.
One of those states is South Dakota. Gov. Kristi Noem said, “I anticipate there will be more debate and discussion.”
Some conservative states are also looking to make it illegal for residents to travel to other states to get abortions and to ban access to abortion pills by mail.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said the Biden Administration won’t allow states to exceed their legal authority.
“We don’t have to do much, in terms of the federal government, to make sure that people’s freedom to travel is exercised, because that’s a constitutional right,” Becerra said. “We’re going to make sure that those rights for America’s women to access medication abortion continue forward.”
The governors of California, Oregon and Washington — Gavin Newsom, Kate Brown, Jay Inslee — issued a joint commitment to protect anyone seeking abortions in their states and give emergency funding to abortion providers.
“We will not aid, we will not abet in their efforts to be punitive, to find and create fear,” Newsom said.
Planned Parenthood said it’s been working to expand capacity in states where abortion remains legal.
“We have always seen patients,” said Planned Parenthood’s Lisa Gardner. “We have never asked them where they’re from and we’ll continue to do that.”
Dozens of newly elected prosecutors, including in states with new abortion bans, said they won’t used “limited criminal legal system resources to criminalize personal medical decisions.”
