Amicus Briefs in Support of Whole Woman’s Health

The following lists the 45 amicus briefs filed in the Supreme Court in opposition to two provisions of Texas’ harmful and deceptive abortion clinic shutdown law, HB2.
For press inquiries, please contact Natalie Munoz at nmunoz@skdknick.com. For more information, please contact amicus@reprorights.org.

Click here for a memo reviewing the amicus briefs.

Click here for a summary chart of each of the 45 amicus briefs with links to each brief. Attorneys for amici are noted in the table of contents.

AMICUS BRIEFS

Medical experts oppose these restrictions:

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Osteopathic Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics


• National Physicians Alliance, American Academy of Nursing, Center for American Progress D/B/A Doctors for America, American Nurses Association, and Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine


• Public Health Deans, Department Chairs, and Faculty and the American Public Health Association


• Society of Hospital Medicine and Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists


• Medical Staff Professionals

Scientific studies show that abortion is safe and that these restrictions will harm women:

• Social Science Researchers

Millions of Texas women will be adversely impacted by these restrictions:

• National Abortion Federation and Abortion Providers


• Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Surgical Health Services, Planned Parenthood Center for Choice, and Planned Parenthood South Texas Surgical Center


• National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health


• In Our Own Voice: Twelve Organizations Dedicated to the Fight for Reproductive Justice


• Service Women’s Action Network and Retired or Former Military Officers


• The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, The Black Women’s Health Initiative, The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Melisa Holmes, M.D., and Professor Margaret Drew


• Experts and Organizations Supporting Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence


• National Network of Abortion Funds


• Jane’s Due Process, Inc.


• Institute for Women’s Policy Research, National Association of Social Workers, Texas Chapter of National Association of Social Workers, and Re:Gender


• National Advocates for Pregnant Women, A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center, Backline, The Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice at Berkeley School of Law, Choices – Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, Choices in Childbirth, Desiree Alliance, Families for Justice as Healing, Families &amp, Criminal Justice, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, Sisterlove Inc., Third Wave Fund, The Women and Justice Project, and Women on the Rise Telling Herstory (WORTH)

Legal experts explain the errors in the Fifth Circuit’s decision in this case and urge reversal:

• Constitutional Law Scholars Ashutosh Bhagwat, Lee Bollinger, Erwin Chemerinsky, Walter E. Dellinger III, Michael C. Dorf, Daniel Farber, Barry Friedman, Pamela S. Karlan, Gillian E. Metzger, Frank Michelman, Jane S. Schacter, Suzanna Sherry, Reva Siegel, Geoffrey R. Stone, David A. Strauss, and Laurence Tribe


• Law Professors Melissa Murray, I. Glenn Cohen, and B. Jessie Hill


• Information Society Project at Yale Law School


• Constitutional Accountability Center


• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.


• The New York City Bar Association

Experts explain how credible, competent evidence – not pseudoscience – must support the state’s health rationale and fails to do so here:

• American Civil Liberties Union, The ACLU of Alabama, and the ACLU of Wisconsin


• Scientists, Science Educators, Skeptics, The Center for Inquiry, and The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Research and Science


• National Center for Lesbian Rights, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, Equal Justice Society, National Black Justice Coalition, Family Equality Council, Human Rights Campaign, National LGBTQ Task Force, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality, Equality Federation, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, Immigration Equality, National Health Law Program, The Movement Advancement Project, and Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom

Women and physicians share their stories about obtaining or providing abortion:

• Janice MacAvoy, Janie Schulman, and Over 110 Other Women in the Legal Profession Who Have Exercised Their Constitutional Right to an Abortion


• The Honorable Wendy Davis, Teresa Fedor, Lucy Flores, and Judy Nicastro


• Kate Banfield, Jo Baxter, Amy Brenneman, Elizabeth Driehaus, Anne Fowler, Carol McCleary, Suzanne Poppema, Sheila Schroeder, Leni Silverstein, and Jennifer Steffen


• Advocates for Youth


• Physicians for Reproductive Health

The Texas restrictions will have negative economic implications:

• National Women’s Law Center and 47 Additional Organizations Commmitted to Equality and Economic Opportunity for Women


• Business Leaders

Government agencies and officials oppose these restrictions:

• The United States of America


• 163 Members of Congress


• The States of New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, and the District of Columbia


• The City of New York, The City of Baltimore, The City of Boston, The City of Burlington, The City of Dayton, The City of Madison, The City and County of San Francisco, and Travis County, Texas Officials

Republican officials speak out against Texas’ intrusion into women’s liberty:

• Republican Majority for Choice and Its National Chairs, Former Republican Members of Congress, and Current and Former Republican State Officeholders

Religious leaders oppose these restrictions:

• Judson Memorial Church, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Catholics for Choice, Keshet, Jewish Social Policy Network, Just Texas: Faith Voices for Reproductive Justice, Methodist Federation for Social Action, National Council of Jewish Women, Presbyterian Feminist Agenda Network, Religious Institute, Society for Humanistic Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation, Western Methodist Justice Movement, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, Workmen’s Circle, and More Than 1200 Individual Religious Leaders and Pastoral Counselors


• Theologians and Ethicists

Economists and historians argue for careful court scrutiny of the Texas restrictions:

• Health Economists


• Historians

Texas restrictions will harm the healthcare marketplace:

• Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM), Dr. Amesh Adalja, Dr. Paul Hsieh, Dr. Karen Salimieri, and Jacob Sullum


• Ten Pennsylvania Abortion Care Providers


• Experts in Health Policy