Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana ask Supreme Court to block abortion shield laws

Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge abortion shield laws in California, Massachusetts and New York. The laws protect providers who prescribe abortion pills across state lines.

The three states contend that the laws undermine their abortion bans and state sovereignty. They want to keep abortion pills out of their states and punish out-of-state providers who send them. Federal regulations allow prescriptions through telehealth and filling by mail.

The Supreme Court can hear disputes between states directly, though it rarely does, MedPage Today and ABC News reported. They said the court could short-circuit existing lawsuits. Louisiana and Texas have pursued criminal charges and civil claims against doctors based in New York and California, while officials in California and New York have refused to cooperate, citing shield laws.