Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh Joins Coalition Fighting To Protect Women's Access To Abortion Services
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh announced that he joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing "amicus brief in Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Wilson, arguing that South Carolina's "fetal heartbeat" abortion regulations harm women's healthcare and a lower court's ruling blocking the law should be upheld."
"South Carolina's law hurts women. It will not stop abortions. It will make them more dangerous," said Attorney General Frosh. "Maryland will continue to support the right of women to make their own healthcare decisions."
The coalition argues that the restrictive abortion laws harm healthcare nationwide. South Carolina passed the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act earlier this year which prohibits abortions at the detection of a fetal heartbeat -- essentially banning abortion after six weeks.
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic filed suit seeking a temporary injunction which the federal district court granted following the act.
"South Carolina's restrictive abortion laws will cause its citizens to seek abortion care in [neighboring states], potentially straining their healthcare 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."