US Supreme Court appears likely to roll back abortion rights
- The 9 justices are hearing arguments over whether to uphold a Mississippi law that would ban the procedure after 15 weeks, with no exception for rape or incest
- At least 4 of the 6 conservative-leaning justices – including two nominated by Donald Trump – seemed receptive to overturning Roe v. Wade
The conservative-dominated Supreme Court appeared poised on Wednesday to roll back abortion rights in the United States by upholding a law in the southern state of Mississippi that would ban the procedure after 15 weeks.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the imposing court in Washington as the nine justices heard two hours of arguments in the most pivotal abortion case to reach the nation’s highest court in 50 years.
Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart urged the court to uphold the state’s 15-week ban and strike down the landmark cases that enshrined a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.
While acknowledging abortion is a “hard issue,” Stewart argued that individual states should be allowed to set their own rules.
“When an issue affects everyone and when the Constitution does not take sides on it, it belongs to the people,” he said. “This court should overrule Roe and Casey and uphold the state’s law.”
In a 1973 ruling, Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court, by a 7-2 vote, held that access to abortion is a constitutional right until the fetus is viable outside the womb, typically 22 to 24 weeks.