Jackson Women's Health Org. v. Dobbs
Jackson Women's Health Org. v. Dobbs
Opinion of the Court
ORDER GRANTING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
Carlton W. Reeves, United States District Judge *551Here we go again. Mississippi has passed another law banning abortions prior to viability. The latest iteration, Senate Bill 2116, bans abortions in Mississippi after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is as early as 6 weeks lmp.
The parties have been here before. Last spring, plaintiffs successfully challenged Mississippi's ban on abortion after 15 weeks lmp. The Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional and permanently enjoined its enforcement.
Plaintiffs now move to supplement their original complaint to challenge S.B. 2116 and to preliminarily enjoin the bill's enforcement, prior to it taking effect on July 1, 2019. On May 21, the Court held oral argument on both motions.
I. Supplemental Complaint
This suit has already been divided into two parts: Part I addressed the 15-week ban, and Part II, which is currently in discovery, involves challenges to five different abortion regulation schemes. Plaintiffs' proposed supplemental complaint would in effect add a Part III-a challenge to S.B. 2116 based on due process and equal protection claims.
Under Rule 15(d), "the court may, on just terms, permit a party to serve a supplemental pleading setting out any transaction, occurrence, or event that happened after the date of the pleading to be supplemented."
"[T]here is the obvious and reasonable requirement that the supplementation have 'some relation' to what is sought to be supplemented."
The State concedes that none of these factors "weigh against allowing supplementation[.]"
There are several reasons to allow plaintiffs to supplement the complaint. First, as all parties acknowledge, none of the factors mentioned above (delay, bad *552faith, deficiencies, undue prejudice, or futility) counsel against supplementation.
Second, the proposed supplemental claims are related to the original suit. The supplemental claims involve the same parties as the original suit. The supplemental claims pose the same legal question as the original suit: does the law ban abortion prior to viability? And the supplemental claims involve a substantial overlap of facts relevant to the original suit.
In a similar case challenging Alabama's abortion regulations, Judge Myron Thompson addressed a similar motion to supplement the complaint. He reasoned that "one of the primary goals of Rule 15(d) is to aid in the complete resolution of disputes between parties."
This Court is in a very similar position to Judge Thompson. The State passed a new abortion ban while its present abortion ban is in active litigation. Supplementation will allow for a complete resolution of the dispute between JWHO and the State. To use the State's words, it would not "make sense" to force the plaintiffs to challenge this statute in a separate lawsuit.
The motion to supplement is granted. The supplemental claims against S.B. 2116 will proceed as Part III of this case. Part III will move forward on the same timeline as Part II.
II. Preliminary Injunction
Plaintiffs have also moved for a preliminary injunction of S.B. 2116. They must clearly demonstrate:
(1) a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; (2) a substantial threat that the movant will suffer irreparable injury if the injunction is denied; (3) that the threatened injury outweighs any damage that the injunction might cause the defendant; and (4) that the injunction will not disserve the public interest.12
This Court previously found the 15-week ban to be an unconstitutional violation of substantive due process because the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that women have the right to choose an abortion prior to viability, and a fetus is not viable at 15 weeks lmp.
S.B. 2116 threatens immediate harm to women's rights, especially considering most women do not seek abortion services until after 6 weeks.
Finally, the Legislature's passage of S.B. 2116 during the pendency of this litigation compels the Court to make the following observation. If there is no medical evidence to prove that a fetus is viable at 15 weeks lmp or at 6 weeks lmp, then a fetus is not viable between 0 and 5 weeks lmp.
III. Conclusion
The plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction is GRANTED. The defendants; their officers, agents, employees, and attorneys; and all other persons who are in active concert or participation with them; shall not enforce S.B. 2116.
SO ORDERED, this the 24th day of May, 2019.
The common measure of fetal gestational age is from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period ("lmp"). See Docket No. 101-2 at 2 n.1.
Jackson Women's Health Org. v. Currier ,
Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(d).
Alabama Women's Ctr. v. Miller ,
Chemetron Corp. v. Bus. Funds, Inc. ,
Docket No. 108 at 3 n.1.
At oral argument, the Court asked what prejudice the State would face if supplementation was allowed. The State did not articulate any sort of prejudice and expressed only that it "doesn't make any sense" to have the supplemental causes of action in a lawsuit that already includes two parts. Docket No. 117 at 20.
Plaintiffs anticipate needing little additional discovery on the supplemental claims beyond what has already been disclosed through the course of the case.
Miller ,
Jackson Women's Health Org. v. Currier ,
See Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt , --- U.S. ----,
See Docket No. 107 at 6 ("Defendants here necessarily concede that they have been unable to identify any medical research or data that show a fetus has reached the 'point of viability' during the 6-12 week LMP time period in which S.B. 2116 would operate.").
See Docket No. 117 at 39.
See Hellerstedt ,
Substantive due process precedent requires enjoining S.B. 2116. The Court does not reach plaintiffs' equal protection claim at this time.
See Docket No. 101-2 at 3.
See id. at 4.
See Casey ,
See
Currier ,
Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(d).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION, On behalf of itself and its patients v. Thomas E. DOBBS, In his official capacity as State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published