In blocking President Biden's vaccine mandate a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals panel, made up of three Republican-appointed judges, issued an opinion that is patently political and policy oriented. Thus, the court said that the "mere specter" of the mandate contributed to untold economic upheaval. The panel further opined that the mandate threatened our constitutional structure and the liberty of individuals to make "intensely personal decisions according to their own convictions".
One can safely predict that the same panel would be far less sympathetic to and protective of the right of a woman to make the "intensely personal decision" of whether to bear a child.
When, inevitably, this case reaches the Supreme Court the conservative bloc of justices will likely perpetuate that same hypocritical view of personal liberties and government intrusion. If the action being challenged accords with their policy preferences (e.g. banning abortions) it will be upheld. If it offends their politics (e.g. gun regulation, public health measures) it will be struck down. That is not how the rule of law should operate.
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