In Mississippi, there is only one abortion clinic left in the entirety of the state. And it’s taking the state to the Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments from the state of Mississippi and the Jackson Women’s Health Organization clinic on whether the state has the legal right to ban abortions well before the allotted timeline outlined by the Roe v. Wade precedence. The landmark case has the potential to completely overturn Roe v. Wade.
In Roe, which was heard before the Supreme Court in 1973, it was determined that the Constitution did not allow states to individually ban abortions before the point in a pregnancy in which the fetus can survive outside of the womb. The ruling legalized abortion nationwide.
Prior to Roe v Wade, abortion laws varied greatly state-to-state in a patchwork-like manner. Unsafe abortions were conducted in states where it was difficult or impossible to have an abortion. The Supreme Court case ensured that all people have access to safe abortions.
Mississippi wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, and revive a 2018 law that bans the majority of abortions after the 15-week mark, long before the allowed cutoff.
The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization challenges the law that legal experts have said is blatantly unconstitutional. The Supreme Court’s nine justices, the majority of which are Conservative-leaning, will hear arguments over whether Mississippi can now impose an abortion ban at 15 weeks. Overturning precedent is incredibly unusual for the Supreme Court, but conservatives hope the stacked court will lean in their favor.
Republican states have been attempting to hack away at this right, lately with more frequency than ever before. Mississippi is one of 12 states with laws ready to go if Roe is overturned by the Supreme Court. It is expected that other states would quickly move to clobber together other similar anti-abortion laws.
The other Supreme Court precedence at risk of being overturned is the 1992 ruling Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, which reaffirmed the right to an abortion, as well as prohibit
Be the first to comment