The conservative-led U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in December 2021 that will directly challenge Roe v. Wade.
The Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will challenge the 1973 landmark decision regarding abortion. It had been blocked by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mississippi enacted the “Gestational Age Act” into state law on March 19, 2018. This law stated that an abortion could not be performed until a physician determined and documented a fetus’s probable gestational age. Abortions were prohibited after 15 weeks except in situations of medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormalities.
The Biden administration released a statement to address the upcoming oral arguments. “In the wake of Texas’ unprecedented attack, it has never been more important to codify this constitutional right and to strengthen health care access for all women.”
Former President Donald Trump appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, all elected to against hearing an emergency request for an abortion law that was taking place in Texas. The Texas law, “The Heartbeat Act,” restricts abortion up to six weeks of a woman’s pregnancy. (READ: Supreme Court Takes Up Mississippi Abortion Case Over Bill Banning Abortions Over 15 Weeks)