Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Prof. Michael Stokes Paulsen legal memo on the consequences of the Freedom of Choice Act

Prof. Michael Stokes Paulsen of the University of St. Thomas School of Law has written a detailed 4000 word legal memorandum describing the consequences of the Freedom of Choice Act on Moral Accountability, a new website providing scholarly analysis of the Obama administration's policies as they relate to abortion and same-sex marriage.

From the conclusion:

While there is room for uncertainty or disagreement concerning a
few issues, in the main, FOCA’s legal effects are clear. FOCA would
invalidate nearly every state and federal law bearing on, or attempting to
influence, the exercise of a choice of abortion. FOCA would invalidate
nearly every state or federal law substantively disfavoring abortion in the
provision of benefits, services, and information. FOCA would invalidate
nearly every state or federal law protecting the conscience of medical workers
or religious hospitals from participating in abortion. FOCA would likely
invalidate nearly any state law prohibiting partial birth abortion. And
FOCA would entrench abortion rights against further meaningful legal challenge.

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