Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/19pdf/18-1323_c07d.pdf
Page Number: 85

4 

JUNE MEDICAL SERVICES L. L. C. v. RUSSO 

ALITO, J., dissenting 

health  or  safety.  See  Casey,  505  U. S.,  at  884–885  (joint 
opinion).  Many  state  and  local  laws  that  are  justified  as 
safety measures rest on debatable empirical grounds.  But 
when  a  party  saddled  with  such  restrictions  challenges 
them as a violation of due process, our cases call for the re-
strictions  to  be  sustained  if  “it  might  be  thought  that  the 
particular legislative measure was a rational way” to serve
a  valid  interest.  See  Williamson  v.  Lee  Optical  of  Okla., 
Inc.,  348  U. S.  483,  488  (1955).    The  test  that  petitioners
advocate would give abortion providers an unjustifiable ad-
vantage over all other regulated parties, and for that rea-
son, it was rejected in Casey.  See 505 U. S., at 851 (majority 
opinion). 

Casey also rules out the balancing test adopted in Whole 
Woman’s Health. Whole Woman’s Health simply misinter-
preted  Casey,  and  I  agree  that  Whole  Woman’s  Health 
should  be  overruled  insofar  as  it  changed  the  Casey  test. 
Unless Casey is reexamined—and Louisiana has not asked 
us to do that—the test it adopted should remain the govern-
ing standard. 

II 

Because  the  plurality  adheres  to  the  balancing  test 
adopted in Whole Woman’s Health, it considers whether the 
Louisiana law helps to protect the health of women seeking 
abortions, and it concludes that “nothing in the record indi-
cates that the background vetting for admitting privileges
adds  significantly  to  the  vetting  that  the  State  Board  of
Medical  Examiners  already  provides.”    Ante,  at  37.  THE 
CHIEF JUSTICE seems to agree, ante, at 14–15 (opinion con-
curring in judgment), although it is unclear why this issue
matters under the test he favors. 

In any event, contrary to the view taken by the plurality
and (seemingly) by THE CHIEF JUSTICE, there is ample evi-
dence in the record showing that admitting privileges help 
to protect the health of women by ensuring that physicians