Press Releases
09/08/2021
Attorney General Tong Joins Coalition of 21 Attorneys General in Fighting to Protect Access to Abortion Services
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General Tong today joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general led by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring in filing an amicus brief in Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Wilson arguing that South Carolina’s “fetal heartbeat” abortion regulations are blatantly unconstitutional and harm women’s health care as a whole and that a lower court’s ruling blocking the law should be upheld. Additionally, the coalition also argues that the collective impact of numerous states across the country attempting to enact restrictive abortion laws, or eliminating access to abortions, harms health care nationwide.
“We are witnessing a cruel and relentless attack on a woman’s right to choose,” Attorney General Tong said. “This South Carolina law is just the latest unlawful and draconian legislation aimed at making it more difficult for women to access health care. My office stands with our partner states and will never stop fighting these restrictive laws and defending every woman’s right to choose and safely access abortion services. Abortion is health care and women have the right to access health care free from politics.”
In February 2021, South Carolina passed the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act that prohibits abortions upon the detection of an embryonic or fetal heartbeat, effectively banning abortion after six weeks. Immediately following the passage of the Act, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic filed suit seeking a temporary injunction, which the federal district court granted.
In their amicus brief, the coalition argues that access to safe and legal abortion is an essential component of women’s health care and restrictive abortion laws, like the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, lead to worse health outcomes for women. The coalition also argues that laws banning abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat have harmful spillover effects on miscarriage treatment and other health care needs.
Additionally, Attorney General Tong and his colleagues argue that the restrictions the Act places on women could also threaten residents of neighboring states as well as those states’ health care systems, explaining, “South Carolina’s restrictive abortion laws will cause its citizens to seek abortion care in [neighboring states], potentially straining their health care systems.” The coalition further says, “[g]iven that numerous states across the country have enacted similarly restrictive or more restrictive legislation than South Carolina’s Act…[and] [i]f access to safe and lawful abortions were banned in large geographic portions of the country, it would create vast “abortion deserts” in which access to abortion care may be unobtainable for many people due to the obstacles created by the sheer distance from lawful abortion care.”
Joining Attorney General Tong and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring in filing today’s amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
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