La. Supreme Court denied abortion appeal, anti-abortion group says clinics should remain closed
LOUISIANA (KLFY) - A Louisiana anti-abortion group is speaking out about a new development in the ongoing abortion battle in the state.
The Louisiana Supreme Court denied an appeal on the state's abortion laws allowing the trigger laws to remain in place.
The appeal was filed by a Shreveport abortion facility. They asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to reverse the First Circuit Court of Appeals decision that closed the three abortion facilities in the state. The court's decision means the clinics will remain closed.
"We see this as a victory. Essentially, this means that our pro-life laws can stand, and the three abortion facilities in the state have to stay closed during these legal deliberations that are happening and continue to go on during the preliminary injunction time," Sarah Zagorski, a spokesperson for Louisiana Right to Life, said.
She says the Shreveport abortion clinic, Hope Medical Group for Women, claimed Louisiana's trigger law, or Act 545, is vague. The facility added that the laws don't give clear information for physicians treating women with ectopic pregnancies or life-threatening situations. Zagorski said the laws are clear that those situations are exempt.
"The minute Roe was overturned, Louisiana was ready for a post-Roe Louisiana. We really felt we had all the resources for women who are unplanned or crisis pregnancies. We felt like our law was strong, unlike what the plaintiffs are saying, which is that it's a vague law. We feel like Act 545 is very strong, very clear language about how Louisiana sees unborn life. So we're confident, and we're excited. We think we're going to keep going on from here," Zagorski added.
She also says abortion clinics in Louisiana can't claim the law is unconstitutional because Roe v. Wade has been overturned.
"We know Roe has been a part of history for the last 50 years. It's going to take a long time I think to educate people on the brutality of abortion, how abortion is damaging for that maternal patient, demeaning to the medical community, things we're hoping to continue educating our citizens about. In Louisiana, we feel very fortunate that we have Democrats and Republicans who are pro-life. We have a very bipartisan pro-life community here in Louisiana. So we're just going to continue to build that up and work to provide women resources," she told News 10.
News 10 did reach out to Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport. The clinic says they plan to meet with attorneys to see if there is a way forward.
Zagorski says, "I think they're going to continue to fight. They're going to keep grasping at straws to keep their clinic open. I think that's going to continue on the coming weeks, maybe months. So we'll see what happens, but I think in the end, our law is going to stand."