Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett raised questions about the impact of safe haven laws during Supreme Court arguments about a Mississippi abortion law; the outcome of which could overturn Roe V. Wade.
The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which focuses on a 2018 Mississippi law — threatens abortion rights established during the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
The Mississippi law bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, despite the Roe ruling which bars states from banning abortions prior to the 24-week mark — near the viability stage of pregnancy when a fetus is commonly able to sustain itself outside of the uterus.
Those in favor of upholding the law are saying that parenthood is no longer an undue burden. When questioning the attorney for Jackson Women’s Health, Justice Barrett inquired about adoption laws removing the burden of parenthood.
“I have a question about safe haven laws. You can terminate parental rights by relinquishing a child after giving birth. The cases emphasized the burden of parenting. But women don’t have to parent if they don’t want to! Why don’t safe haven laws take care of that?” asked Barrett, who has seven kids, two of whom are adopted.
Safe haven laws exist in varying capacities in every state and…
