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U.S. Law Firms And Abortion Rights Groups Joined Up To Offer Legal Guidance
(CTN NEWS) – Several organizations that support abortion rights and private law firms have joined up to offer legal guidance to clients and providers navigating the convoluted patchwork of US abortion rules, the organizations said on Wednesday.
The Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are among the organizations that make up the newly formed Abortion Defense Network.
12 States Outlaw Abortion Rights
The network claims to match individuals who support or provide abortion services with lawyers who can defend them in a rapidly evolving legal environment.
Twelve states have almost completely outlawed abortion as a result of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year-old landmark that established federal abortion rights.
Advocates for abortion rights are growing more concerned about the efforts made by those states to punish patients who cross state lines or self-manage abortions at home, as well as healthcare professionals whose professional judgment may contradict state law.
Pro-abortion demonstrators march to the State Capitol to mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that had established a right to abortion until it was overturned last year, in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eric Cox
Governers To Defend Abortion Rights
Jennifer Dalven, Director of the Reproductive Freedom Project at the ACLU, stated in a statement, “We’ve established the Abortion Defense Network to assist individuals connected with abortion care navigate this perplexing and hostile legal landscape.”
Although stating that it will assist with legal costs in both criminal and civil actions, the Abortion Defense Network did not immediately answer inquiries regarding its funding or the amount it would be covering.
A day after 20 Democratic governors declared they had united in an alliance to defend abortion access and rights in their states, the group officially launched.
Supporters of abortion rights have generally been disappointed with the Democratic-led administration’s response to the removal of abortion access in significant portions of the nation.
Demonstrators hold signs during a protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court, after the leak of a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito preparing for a majority of the court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision later this year, in Washington, May 3, 2022.
Patients To Contact The Helpline Available
An imminent federal court judgment may also endanger President Joe Biden’s administration’s efforts to expand access to medication abortion, which uses a drug that has received federal approval.
Patients will be directed to a helpline that is already managed by If/When/How, one of the network’s advocacy partners, while abortion physicians and individuals who support abortion patients can seek counseling through the network.
Arnold & Porter is one of the private companies devoted to providing legal resources to the network. the law firms of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Kaye Scholer LLP, Goodwin Procter LLP, Hogan Lovells US LLP, and O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
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