Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri has added his signature to an amicus curiae brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the precedents set by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey when it hears the case of June Medical Services LLC v. Gee in March.
The brief was signed in total by 207 members of Congress from 38 states. In addition to Blunt, several Republican U.S. representatives from Missouri also signed on, reports the Columbia Missourian.
June Medical Services LLC v. Gee involves a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of wherever the abortion is performed.
The amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief cites the Fifth Circuit’s difficulty in interpreting the language of Roe and Casey, claiming this “Illustrates the unworkability of the ‘right to abortion’ found in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and the need for the Court to again take up the issue of whether Roe and Casey should be reconsidered and, if appropriate, overruled.”
The case has been called nearly identical to Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, in which the Supreme Court ruled that a Texas law requiring admitting privileges placed an “undue burden” as defined by Casey on women seeking termination of pregnancy.
Amicus curiae briefs are submitted by individuals who are not directly involved in a legal action but who have a “strong interest” in the issue.
