The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), an organization dedicated to promoting the rights of women and of women lawyers, supported the position of Respondent, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, in the abortion-rights case argued yesterday in the United States Supreme Court, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, et al., No. 04-1144 (U.S. Sup. Ct.).

The New Hampshire statute at issue in Ayotte requires notification of parents when a minor seeks an abortion and provides no exception to preserve the health of the mother, except in cases of "imminent death." The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit had struck the statute down as unconstitutional. When the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, NAWL joined 31 other organizations as amicus curiae (friends of the court) in supporting the Respondent’s position, urging the Court to nullify the statute as unconstitutional based on its failure to include an exception to protect the health of the mother. In addition, NAWL argued that the standard of review for cases on the right to privacy and a woman’s right to choose should be the "undue burden" standard articulated in Casey and not the weaker standard articulated in non-abortion cases, allowing a statute to stand if any reading of the statute exists that would render it constitutional.

NAWL strongly supports women’s reproductive rights and opposes efforts to interfere with medical decisions that appropriately belong to a woman and her doctor. A copy of NAWL’s amicus brief can be found on NAWL’s website at www.nawl.org. Also available are copies of recent amicus briefs in which NAWL has joined.

The National Association of Women Lawyers is the leading national voluntary organization in the United States devoted to the interests of women lawyers and women's rights.   Founded over 100 years ago, NAWL has members in all 50 states and engages in a variety of national and regional programs and activities to advance its mission.