October 6, 2022 – With the start of the new Supreme Court term on October 3, the justices in the conservative majority could significantly harm public health through a number of rulings, according to Michelle Williams, Dean of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Lawrence Gostin, University Professor at Georgetown University.
“The six conservative justices may be poised to unravel a long-standing social contract that safeguards privacy and dignity, remedies unconscionable inequities, and empowers federal agencies to protect the health, safety, and environment for all Americans,” they wrote in an opinion piece published October 3 in STAT.
At the end of the previous term in June, the Supreme Court limited the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fight climate change, expanded gun access, and overturned the right to abortion. Now, the court’s rulings on several upcoming cases could result in further setbacks in public health.
In the cases Moore v. Harper and Merrill v. Milligan, the court could make it easier for lawmakers to pass restrictive voting laws and draw gerrymandered districts, potentially leading to reduced representation—which limits resources such as health insurance—for minority groups. In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, a ruling allowing businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals could lead to worse mental and physical health outcomes in that group. In Sackett v. EPA, removing protections under the Clean Water Act would disproportionately harm poor people and people of color, who are more likely to live in hazardous environments.
“It might be tempting to take comfort in the idea that these cases affect just certain groups, or just certain states,” Williams and Gostin wrote. “In fact, the effects on public health would ripple through all aspects of the nation, from national security and the economy to education and longevity.”
Read the opinion piece in STAT: Will there be a Supreme assault on public health?