The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday over whether or not Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks gestation is constitutional.
While the high court has considered other abortion cases involving state regulations on abortion, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is unique in that the decision on Mississippi’s law could lead to a groundbreaking shift in the abortion battle.
Many pro-life advocates believe this abortion case is the most important in decades, saying it could even lead to a reversal of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that invented a right to abortion in the U.S.
The state of Mississippi is directly challenging the precedent in Roe and the 1992 Casey v. Planned Parenthood ruling that holds that states cannot ban pre-viability abortions – those done before a child can survive outside the womb.
Roe declared the right to privacy includes the right for women to choose to abort their unborn child. In Casey, the court argued that women had come to rely on abortions.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds described the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health case as the Supreme Court’s opportunity to overturn a “tragic mistake.”
“The question in the case is simple, yet it lies at the heart of the American experiment. Does the U.S. Constitution require states to withhold legal protection from an entire class of defenseless human beings? According to any straightforward reading of the Constitution, the answer to that question has always been a resounding no.”
The court is expected to issue its decision next June and even if it does not overturn Roe, it could still uphold the Mississippi law and signal to states that the door is open for reasonable restrictions.
On Tuesday, November 30 at 3 p.m., CBN News will Livestream coverage of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case.
Tune in right here for our special coverage, hosted by CBN’s Dan Andros with Billy Hallowell and Tre Goins-Philips, as well as analysis by Heather Sells, Tara Mergener, and other special guests with Supreme Court expertise. And be sure to download the CBN News App for alerts and updates.