In 2016, Louisiana had six abortion clinics. By 2017, the number had dwindled to three. Soon, there may be only one clinic left to serve nearly 1 million women of reproductive age in the state. Whether or not this happens will likely depend on the outcome of a critical abortion case now with the Supreme Court.
The case centers on a Louisiana law that requires doctors who provide abortions to have “admitting privileges” at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic, a difficult-to-obtain arrangement that critics say is a sly attempt to wipe out abortion access in the state.
A near-identical law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2016. But the composition of the bench has moved to the right since. With a 5-4 conservative majority in the Supreme Court, the decision likely rests in Roberts’ hands.
Beyond the specific legal questions that surround this case, at the heart of June Medical Services v. Russo is a referendum on unnecessary abortion laws that purport to help women but actually harm them.
If Louisiana’s law and others like it prevail, for many women across the country, the constitutional right to abortion will exist in name only. | 
