Lawsuit Update: The DOJ’s statement on our case against AL’s Attorney General

Via the DOJ’s website: Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Case on Right to Travel to Access Legal Abortions

“The Justice Department filed a statement of interest today in two consolidated lawsuits seeking to protect the right to interstate travel, including the right to travel to another state to obtain an abortion that is legal in the destination state. The statement of interest explains that the Constitution protects the right to travel across state lines and engage in conduct that is lawful where it is performed and that states cannot prevent third parties from assisting others in exercising that right. The statement argues that the Alabama Attorney General’s threatened prosecutions of individuals for providing assistance to people seeking lawful out-of-state abortions are therefore unconstitutional. The cases are Yellowhammer Fund v. Marshall and West Alabama Women’s Center, et al., v. Marshall.”

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-statement-interest-case-right-travel-access-legal-abortions

Via WHNT Huntsville: DOJ challenges Alabama AG’s threatened prosecution for out-of-state abortions

“‘Specifically, the Alabama Attorney General contends that providing assistance within Alabama to someone seeking an out-of-state abortion constitutes a criminal conspiracy, regardless of whether the abortion is legal in the state where it is performed, as long as the abortion would be illegal if performed within Alabama. Plaintiffs have challenged the Alabama Attorney General’s threatened conspiracy prosecutions on a variety of grounds, including as being inconsistent with the Constitution’s right to travel,’” the DOJ says.

https://whnt.com/news/alabama-news/doj-challenges-alabama-ags-threatened-prosecution-for-out-of-state-abortions/

Heidi Miller

November 17, 2023

Support Reproductive Justice in the Deep South

The Yellowhammer Fund envisions a society in which reproductive decisions are made free from coercion, shame, or state interference, a society in which individuals and communities have autonomy in making healthy choices regarding their bodies and their futures.