U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana Abortion Safety Law

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 29, 2020

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “This bad ruling is a detriment to the health and safety of women. Louisiana’s law is designed to protect women from unsafe abortion practices. We know abortion carries a lot of risks and consequences, and requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at a local hospital to help minimize those risks just makes sense.”

Cox said Arkansas has legislation similar to Louisiana’s, but there are a few key differences between the two laws. “Arkansas passed a law requiring abortion facilities that offer chemical abortion drugs like RU-486 to have an agreement with a doctor who has hospital admitting privileges. The law doesn’t apply to surgical abortions, and it isn’t as restrictive as Louisiana’s law. At this point, we don’t know how today’s ruling impacts Arkansas’ law.”

Cox said Family Council will continue fighting against abortion in Arkansas. “Arkansas is still winning the fight against abortion and ranks as the second most pro-life state in the nation. This isn’t the victory that a lot of pro-life groups had hoped for, but it won’t stop us from fighting for the lives of unborn children.”

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Americans Split on Morality of Abortion: Gallup Poll

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Last week Gallup released its annual Values and Beliefs poll.

The poll shows 47% of Americans surveyed believe abortion is morally wrong while 44% believe it is morally acceptable.

Pollsters noted that of the 21 moral issues they considered in the survey, liberals and conservatives were most divided on abortion. Seventy percent of liberals said abortion is morally acceptable while only 18% of conservatives said it was morally acceptable.

Gallup also examined Americans’ attitudes about physician-assisted suicide.

The percentage of Americans who believe physician-assisted suicide is morally acceptable has fallen from 57% in 2017 to 51% this year.

It’s encouraging to see nearly half of Americans morally object to abortion

A recent poll by CBS News found most Americans believe abortion ought to be either completely illegal or legal under fewer circumstances than it currently is.

Time and again surveys have found Americans oppose abortion on demand —  particularly in Arkansas.

These findings just go to show that slowly but surely we are winning the fight to protect innocent human life.

You can read Gallup’s full poll here.

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Another Study Links Marijuana With Psychosis and Suicide

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“Cannabis legalization has led to significant health consequences, particularly to patients in emergency departments and hospitals in Colorado. The most concerning include psychosis, suicide, and other substance abuse.”

That’s the opening line from a study published last year by a branch of the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers noted that marijuana use is associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide — particularly among adolescents.

The study also highlighted the link between marijuana use and schizophrenia and psychosis, writing,

Previous studies . . . have found substantial evidence of a statistical association between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia or other psychoses, with the highest risk among the most frequent users. . . . The researchers estimated that 13% of cases of schizophrenia could have been averted if no one in the cohort had used cannabis. These findings have been reproduced repeatedly and across the world.

This is not the first study to link marijuana use with serious problems.

A 2019 study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions found that marijuana addiction among young people is tied to increased risk of heart problems.

A second study found regular marijuana use increases a young person’s risk of suffering a stroke.

Researchers have repeatedly found marijuana use is tied to stroke as well as permanent loss in IQ and an increased risk for schizophrenia.

That’s part of the reason why the U.S. Surgeon General has issued warnings about marijuana.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that marijuana is a dangerous drug, groups in Arkansas are currently working to legalize marijuana, and Arkansans recently purchased record amounts of so-called “medical marijuana.”

As we have said time and time again: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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