What:

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that challenges women’s access to the medication that is most commonly used in medical abortions in the U.S. American University experts are available to comment on the implications of this case. 

When:

December 13, 2023 - ongoing 

Where:

Zoom, FaceTime, in-person 

Background:

American University experts who are available for comments:  

Sara Clarke Kaplan is director of AU’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center, a scholar of Black feminist studies, and commentator on contemporary politics, race and culture. She can provide antiracist analysis of politics and discuss race and reproductive rights in the post-Roe era.   

Jamie Abrams is a professor of law at the Washington College of Law. Her scholarly research focuses on reproductive and birthing decision-making, gendered violence, and legal education pedagogy. Abrams can comment on feminist legal theory and reproductive rights and justice.   

Maya Manian is a professor of law at the Washington College of Law. She is also the faculty director of the Health Law and Policy Program. Manian is a nationally recognized expert on reproductive rights and justice. Her scholarship investigates the relationship between constitutional law, family law, and health care law, with a focus on access to reproductive health care. She can discuss abortion rights and constraints a wide range of women and pregnant people’s medical care.  

Asha Scielzo is the director of the Health Law and Policy Program at the Washington College of Law. As a practitioner, she concentrated her practice on a broad range of health care compliance, regulatory, and transactional matters. Scielzo can comment on the intersection of law, medicine, and ethics.  

Leonard Steinhorn is a professor at the School of Communication and is also an affiliate professor of history. His expertise includes American politics, culture and media, the presidency and presidential elections, and political strategy and communication. Steinhorn can comment on political ramifications.   

Jessica Waters is a faculty member in the School of Public Affairs and has also taught at the Washington College of Law. Her research focuses primarily on reproductive rights law and questions related to the legal impact of women’s medical decisions during pregnancy and childbirth, employment-based conscience protections for reproductive health care providers, and the reproductive rights of employees working for religiously affiliated employers.   

Tracy A. Weitz is director of AU’s Center for Health, Risk and Society, and a national expert on abortion care, policy, culture, and politics. She has been a visiting scholar at the University of California at San Francisco. Weitz co-founded and directed UCSF’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health research program, which influenced the California legislature to pass AB154, which permits nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants to perform aspiration abortions. Six additional states have since implemented the same policy change. While at UCSF, Weitz also served as the founding executive director for the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health.