At the writing of this letter Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States as an associate justice. While the confirmation process was indeed an exercise in political ethics, regardless of where one stands on the credibility of the allegations it is believed that Justice Kavanaugh will have an impact on abortion jurisprudence. Hopefully, this confirmation will help cement the end to the Roe and Casey doctrines that have plagued this land for far too long.

Currently, there are a couple of cases that may be headed to the Supreme Court.  One is Indiana’s law that prohibits the practice of abortion based on race, gender, or disability. Indiana’s attorney general has signaled he plans to appeal the decision from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals that struck down portions of the law. Furthermore, there are cases from the Fifth and Eighth Circuit Courts dealing with abortion regulation and hospital admitting privileges that are likely to make their way as well. These cases will likely test to see where exactly Justice Kavanaugh stands on abortion jurisprudence. It is unfortunate, however, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case from Iowa dealing with surrogacy contracts letting the Iowa Supreme Court ruling stand which allowed for such agreements.

The movie “Gosnell” is also a welcome event. As many already know the actual events that are detailed within the movie inspired many states to take abortion clinic regulation seriously. In many states it is not uncommon for a veterinary clinic to be more regulated and inspected than an abortion clinic. Even to this day, years after the tragic events of Dr. Kermit Gosnell were brought to light, it is still not uncommon to read a story of an abortion clinic that is woefully unsanitary. It is hopeful, that the movie will help bring to light the very real need for more states to pass regulations such as hospital admitting privileges, informed consent, etc. It should not have to be even mentioned, but hopefully the movie will also shed light on the very real need for states to enforce existing laws and inspect abortion clinics as well.

This edition will explore two important issues. One is a recent issue that has arisen, the challenging of Texas’, Virginia’s, and Indiana’s pro-life laws en banc as an undue burden. Chris Maska, from Texas Alliance for Life, explores the specific case related to Texas. Thankfully, in Virginia, the federal court dismissed the portion of the case that challenged the laws as a whole. However, this still has not happened in either of the Indiana or Texas cases. The other topic is by our Vice President, Ana Brennan, who will explore the historical corruption of the medical field to legitimize and promote assisted-suicide and ultimately non-voluntary euthanasia.

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Again, thank you for the amazing year! We have grown and many more people are recognizing the significance of our mission! Thirty two Sebastian’s Point articles have been published and this is our fourth edition of the Journal of Bioethics in Law & Culture. Thank you for your continued support!

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Joe Kral, M.A.

President & Editor in Chief

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Ana Brennan, J.D.

Vice-President & Senior Editor