Maine’s attorney general has joined a group of his counterparts in supporting abortion providers in an ongoing U.S. Supreme Court case.

A coalition of 22 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in an appeal over a Louisiana law that requires abortion providers to maintain admitting privileges at a local hospital. Critics say that requirement would effectively end access to abortion in Louisiana. Supporters of a similar rule in Texas had said it would protect the health of women, but the Supreme Court struck down that law more than three years ago.

“The Louisiana law is designed for only one purpose: to prevent individuals from accessing safe and legal abortion services,” said Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey in a news release Tuesday. “Similar laws have been struck down by the Supreme Court in the past because of the undue burden they place on patients, and this law must be struck down, too.”

Louisiana passed its law in 2014. A federal court blocked that law from taking effect, but last year, an appeals court reversed that decision. June Medical Services and two physicians then appealed, and the Supreme Court granted an emergency request to stay the law from taking effect while the case is ongoing.

New York Attorney General Letitia James led the group of attorneys general in filing the amicus brief.

“In the brief, the attorneys general argue that Louisiana’s law is an unnecessary and onerous burden that fails to promote women’s health and will end up further limiting the number of abortion providers available to women in Louisiana,” the release states.

The other attorneys general who joined the brief are from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.

A number of organizations on both sides of the abortion debate filed similar briefs Monday.


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