The Supreme Court’s failure to act means the Maricopa County policy will likely be scrapped and taxpayers will have to pay, indirectly, for prisoner abortions. The ACLU argued that prison inmates have a constitutional right to an abortion, despite prison rules that say a court order is needed.  The Supreme Court could have backed up that policy if it took the case.  Mary Spaulding Balch with National Right to Life thinks the courts are being abused.

“Our opponents are trying to force, for instance, doctors to refer; force nurses to assist in abortion; force in this instance a sheriff to transport for abortion.  And they are using the courts to force those individuals to do that.”

Greg Scott with the Alliance Defense Fund says the High Court’s denial to hear the case will have little or no effect on Roe v. Wade but he’s lamenting the indirect impact it has on taxpayers.

“The American people should not be forced, through their tax dollars, to subsidize abortions, directly, or indirectly.”

Peter Gentala with the Center for Arizona Policy says this is another example of how the right to abortion trumps the right of conscience.

“What we’re looking at is a lawsuit that is an example of the abortion on demand mindset. Groups like the ACLU, not only believe in a right to abortion, and that’s not a right, that’s a right that the courts have manufactured, but they oppose reasonable restrictions on that right.”

Over in Missouri, a federal appeals court recently issued a similar ruling.