Pro-life doctors defend right to life
You might think that the right to life has been firmly established in Mississippi and other states, due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe v. Wade. But Mississippi has its own version of the infamous Roe decision, called Pro-Choice Mississippi v. Fordice. In that case, the Mississippi Supreme Court wrongly held that the “right” to abortion is constitutionally protected—not by the United States Constitution, but by the Mississippi Constitution. That decision by the state’s high court has never been overruled, so the state constitutional “right” to abortion remains on the books in Mississippi.
Meanwhile, the sole board-certification authority for American obstetricians and gynecologists has adopted policies declaring that physicians have an ethical “duty” to refer patients for lawful, elective abortions. But whether elective abortions are “lawful” in Mississippi depends on whether the Mississippi Supreme Court’s opinion in Fordice is still valid.
This uncertainty keeps pro-life physicians in Mississippi in a state of constant legal peril. For that reason, American Dream Legal is representing the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) in a case before the Mississippi Supreme Court. Through its lawsuit, AAPLOG hopes to obtain a ruling that overturns Fordice and finally puts an end to court-imposed, elective abortion policy in the state that took down Roe.
Client:
American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Attorneys:
Aaron Rice, Andy Taggart
