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KC-area woman closely watching U.S. Supreme Court case that would keep abortion pill accessible

Megan McQuinn
Posted at 6:34 PM, Dec 13, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a case related to abortion rights.

This is the first abortion related case to come before SCOTUS since it voted 6-3 to overturn Roe v. Wade last year.

“If I am not able to obtain an abortion, I cannot imagine what my life would be like; I can't imagine what that would have done to me physically, emotionally, and mentally," Megan McQuinn said.

Mcquinn remembers being 18 and getting an abortion.

“It’s scary to think that I was in the most unimaginable situation that there would be no recourse for me to act in that situation," McQuinn said.

McQuinn says she hopes that the U.S. Supreme Court will listen and vote to keep the abortion pill easily accessible.

“When women’s autonomy and bodily rights are up for debate in front of a court, it’s a very dangerous precedent that this could set," she said. "Who is to say what their next medication that it would be challenging is?"

Kansans for Life, an anti-abortion group, responding to the news that SCOTUS would hear arguments.

“As Americans, we can all agree that women's safety should be paramount, not the profits of the abortion industry and big pharma. We hope the court will restore reasonable safeguards for women," said Danielle Underwood, the director for communications for Kansans for Life.

Bishop James Johnston with the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph also released a statement.

“The Catholic Church upholds the dignity of the life and health of every human being from conception through natural death," Johnston said. "The decision by the FDA in January 2023 increasing access to abortion-inducing drugs loosened vital safety standards for women and further jeopardized the right to life of unborn children. We pray that the Supreme Court will prudently consider the case now before it and work to protect the life of unborn children and the health and safety of women in the United States."

While SCOTUS weighs the case, McQuinn says abortion rights should be left up to women, not the courts.

“Women know what their situation is, they know what they can or can't handle and you need to trust women to make decisions for themselves," she said.