Mark Lippelmann of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) explains that in 2019, under the mandates of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the court issued an injunction to halt enforcement of the state's law protecting unborn lives after 20 weeks.
"Now that the Supreme Court has sent the issue of abortion back to the states and allowed states to protect life, the legislative leaders are taking action to do that," he continues.
AFN recently reported that Attorney General Josh Stein will not be asking the lower court to lift its ruling, but the state's legislative leaders, North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore (R) and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R), filed a friend-of-the-court brief Wednesday in federal district court to defend the state's pro-life laws. It argues that no legal basis remains for the injunction to remain in place now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe and Casey, and the state should be able to enforce its law and work to protect the lives of pregnant mothers and their unborn children.
"The court asks for the existing parties to brief the issue in early August on whether the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs [v. Jackson Women's Health Organization] essentially changes the analysis and such that he should unblock the law," Lippelmann explains. "So, we expect the court to be looking at this early in August."
ADF -- the world's largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights, and God's design for marriage and family -- is representing Speaker Moore and Senate President Pro Tempore Berger in the case, Bryant v. Woodall.
Lippelmann says regardless of where a person lives, this is an important case to watch.
"Because the Supreme Court retuned the issue of abortion to states, what happens in one state could be what happens in your state soon," he notes.
ADF is also working to defend pro-life laws in North Dakota, Michigan, Montana, Iowa, West Virginia, and others.
