Opinion ID: 746244
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Persons or Things in Interstate Commerce

Text: 19 The government argues that the Act falls within the second category of permissible interstate regulation, specifically the protection of persons or things in interstate commerce. The government argues that Congress determined, through legislative inquiry, that (1) doctors travel interstate to provide abortion services, (2) patients travel interstate to receive abortion services, and (3) clinics use medical supplies and equipment that have traveled interstate. 20 We do not find the Act to be a valid exercise of Congress's Commerce Clause authority under the second Lopez category. Although unquestionably many--perhaps most--abortion clinics employ out-of-state doctors, serve out-of-state patients, and utilize medical supplies and equipment that have traveled interstate, there is no allegation or showing that, in the present case, America's Women Clinic ever employed physicians, treated patients, or used supplies that so qualified. Congressional regulation or protection of persons or things that move in interstate commerce must ensure that, in fact, a particular threat--whether posed by an interstate or intrastate activity--actually threatens persons or things with a plain and clear nexus to interstate commerce. Of course, neither medical doctors nor their patients are by their nature involved in interstate commerce. Nor, for that matter, are medical supplies inherently interstate commodities. In the absence of such a plain and clear nexus, a statute must employ some mechanism to ensure the federal regulation in fact regulates persons or things in interstate commerce. Traditionally, this has been achieved by a jurisdictional element or a statutory presumption. In this regard, the Court in Lopez, 514 U.S. at 557-58, 115 S.Ct. at 1629, cited federal statutes criminalizing the destruction of aircraft employed in interstate commerce, 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(1) (criminalizing the destruction of any aircraft used, operated, or employed in interstate, overseas, or foreign air commerce), and theft from interstate commerce, 18 U.S.C. § 659 (criminalizing the theft of any goods or chattels moving as or which are a part of or which constitute an interstate or foreign shipment). 21 Congress did not set forth a jurisdictional element in section 248(a)(1). Even if there had been such a jurisdictional element, or even if we were able to read the language of the Act to imply such a requirement, United States v. Bass, 404 U.S. 336, 347-50, 92 S.Ct. 515, 522-23, 30 L.Ed.2d 488 (1971) (requiring the government to demonstrate the requisite nexus with interstate commerce for each element of a federal firearm statute ambiguously containing the phrase in commerce or affecting commerce), there was absolutely no allegation nor any evidence produced at trial that America's Women Clinic in Houston employed out-of-state personnel, utilized out-of-state medical supplies, or treated out-of-state patients. To the contrary, Dr. Herring, the only witness, testified that he resided in Dallas, Texas; he was never questioned concerning the supplies or equipment used by the clinic, nor was he asked whether the clinic treated patients from outside of the Houston area, let alone from outside of Texas generally. No documentary evidence addressing the interstate nature of the clinic's business was produced by the government at trial. Without evidence that America's Women Clinic used out-of-state staff or supplies, or that it provided abortion services to out-of-state patients, it is difficult to see how Bird's actions had any affect on interstate commerce in medical supplies, medical personnel, or the provision of medical services to out-of-state patients. 22 Congress's finding that many of the patients who seek services from [abortion providers] engage in interstate commerce by traveling from one state to obtain [the abortion services] in another, S.Rep. No. 103-117, at 31; H. Conf. Rep. No. 103-488, at 7, and that physicians and other related medical personnel often travel across state lines to provide abortion services, is not sufficient to support section 248(a)(1) under this second Lopez category. That many, substantial numbers, or a majority of patients and doctors travel interstate to obtain or to provide abortion services does not establish that this particular clinic was ever so served or attended. Nor can the government's citation of cases involving specific, individualized findings relating to other clinics in unrelated litigation involving a different statute serve as a proxy for the individualized inquiry heretofore required for each violation under this second Lopez category. See, e.g., Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic, 506 U.S. 263, 312-14, 113 S.Ct. 753, 782, 792, 122 L.Ed.2d 34 (1993) (Stevens, J., dissenting) (stating that between twenty and thirty percent of patients at a targeted Virginia abortion clinic were from outside Virginia and a majority at one of the Maryland clinics were from outside Maryland); New York State N.O.W. v. Terry, 886 F.2d 1339, 1360 (2d Cir.1989) (women referred by out-of-state clinics often travel to New York City seeking its superior medical services), cert. denied, 495 U.S. 947, 110 S.Ct. 2206, 109 L.Ed.2d 532 (1990); Pro-Choice Network v. Project Rescue, 799 F.Supp. 1417, 1430 (W.D.N.Y.1992) (Plaintiffs' health care facilities render services to patients from other states, especially Pennsylvania[,] Ohio, and Canada); Lucero v. Operation Rescue, 772 F.Supp. 1193, 1195 (N.D.Ala.1991) (finding 1.5% of patients resided outside of Alabama). 7 23