Gonzales v. Carhart – Soon, It Won't Be Academic

by Gretchen Borchelt, Senior Counsel
National Women's Law Center

At the recent Association of American Law Schools meeting in New York, one of the “hot topics” for discussion was the Supreme Court’s April 2007 decision Gonzales v. Carhart, which upheld a federal ban on a medically-approved abortion procedure. The panel was made up of some of the country’s leading law professors. Evidently the panel was quite interesting and has stimulated further discussion in the blogosphere. The Reproductive Rights Prof Blog provides a summary of the panel; Professor Dorf further reflects on his and another panelist’s take on overturning Roe; and Feminist Law Professors provides some substance to back up what an audience member said about who the law affects.

I missed the panel, but this Carhart discussion reminds me that soon it won’t be just academic. The state legislatures are opening for the 2008 legislative session, and we’ll be seeing the implications of the case play out soon enough. Womenstake will continue to keep you updated as things move forward . . . or backwards.