US Supreme Court refuses to take up plea seeking constitutional rights for foetus  

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to wade into a case that seeks constitutional rights for foetuses.

The apex court refused to step in and take the case without offering any comment after it overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling in June, reports Reuters news agency.

The case was earlier heard in the Rhode Island court in May where a Catholic group and two pregnant women wanted to challenge a state abortion law on behalf of their unborn foetuses.

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The lower court declined to entertain their plea citing Roe v. Wade, holding that foetus lacked the proper legal standing to challenge a 2019 state law that granted the right to abortion in line with the now-defunct abortion law.

The claimants argued that they should have had the opportunity to vote against the abortion law in a referendum, saying that the legislation erased their legal rights.

But the lower court rejected the lawsuit,saying that there was no right to a referendum on the issue and that none of the adult plaintiffs had been harmed by the law.

The court said that the foetus had no legal standing as they were not "persons" who could bring legal claims.

The court also said that plaintiffs had no standing either because they were not harmed.

Deciding to take the case to the Supreme Court, the plaintiffs in their writ petition asked,“This Court should grant the writ to finally determine whether prenatal life, at any gestational age, enjoys constitutional protection – considering the full and comprehensive history and tradition of our Constitution and law supporting personhood for unborn human beings.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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