The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, may protect abortion as a federal right, a federal judge said on Feb. 6 in an ongoing prosecution of pro-life activists charged with conspiracy to block access to an abortion clinic.
The statement could open up a new line of attack that pro-choice activists could use to advance their cause after the Supreme Court overturned the 49-year-old precedent Roe v. Wade, holding that the Constitution does not protect abortion as a right.
The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, handed down in June 2022, opened the door to a flurry of lawsuits and new state-level restrictions on abortion….