The Supreme Court of the United States agreed on Monday to hear a legal challenge to Mississippi’s abortion law—setting the stage for a major showdown on abortion rights later this year.
Oral arguments are scheduled for the fall.
The case involves a Mississippi law that would outlaw abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.
Abortion supporters believe the case is a threat to abortion rights in America.
“The court cannot uphold this law without overturning the principal protections of Roe v. Wade,” said Nancy Northrup, head of the Center for Reproductive Rights, during a media call, as the Associated Press reported.
Related: Texas ‘Heartbeat Bill,’ to Protect the Unborn, Heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s Desk
The [Mississippi] ban “had been blocked by lower courts as inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent that protects a woman’s right to obtain an abortion before the fetus can survive outside her womb,” as Fox News reported.
The high court had previously postponed action on the case.
Now, Amy Coney Barrett is on the court—she was the third justice appointed by President Donald J. Trump, along with Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh—and the court has a 6-3 conservative majority.
Related: Burgess Owens: ‘Right to Life Is Given to Us by God’
The Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 established a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion—and the high court reaffirmed that highly controversial decision 19 years later.
The new case “is a landmark opportunity for the Supreme Court to recognize the right of states to protect unborn children from the horrors of painful late-term abortions,” Susan B. Anthony List’s Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of one of the nation’s most influential pro-life advocacy groups, said in a statement, The Daily Caller reported.
See these tweets with additional information and commentary:
BREAKING: The Supreme Court agrees to take up a major abortion case that will give the court an opportunity to reconsider Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The case involves the constitutionality of Mississippi’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) May 17, 2021
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a major challenge to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, taking up a case from Mississippi that could ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy https://t.co/rKm04hlNjA pic.twitter.com/05ptpkrECq
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 17, 2021
Supreme Court to review Mississippi’s abortion law that advocates see as a path to diminish Roe v. Wade https://t.co/wHKYfntnZ8
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 17, 2021
Share your thoughts on this story and other news stories on Christian News Journal’s Facebook page here.
For more news and stories of the day from Christian News Journal, click here.
—By CNJ Staff