Wednesday, Nov 14, 2018, AAPS became the first group to file with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the State of Indiana’s efforts to reinstate legislation signed in 2016 by then-Governor Mike Pence. Following our filing, 11 other organizations and 18 States, have also filed in support of Indiana’s petition.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which presides in Chicago, earlier this year rendered a 2-1 decision that invalidated the “Sex Selective and Disability Abortion Ban,” Ind. Code § 16-34-4 (2016), which prohibits abortion solely for discriminatory reasons, such as gender selection. The Court also invalidated a requirement, which was upheld in Minnesota nearly 30 years ago, which requires that disposal of abortive remains be in the same manner as disposal of other human remains.
The key documents in Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, including the AAPS brief, are posted online by the Supreme Court:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/18-483.html
The AAPS brief states in part:
AAPS, as a physician’s organization that has been active for 75 years, has a direct and vital interest in defending the integrity of the medical profession and the ethics of the Oath of Hippocrates. AAPS has long advocated for strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution, which is at issue in this case. … One need not look far today to see examples that easily justify the Indiana provision for humane disposal of abortion remains. … The abortion industry already receives unique favoritism in the United States, and hardly needs an unlimited right to discriminate too.
Read the full brief at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-483/72037/20181114150949195_18-483acAssnOfAmericanPhysiciansSurgeons.pdf
