The Supreme Court Appears To Be Leaning Toward Upholding A Mississippi Abortion Legislation That Would Overturn Roe V. Wade.

 

The Supreme Court hinted on Wednesday that it is on the verge of significantly curtailing abortion rights in the United States, and that it is likely to maintain a Mississippi law that violates one of the key principles of the Roe v. Wade decision, which was handed down over 50 years ago.

It was uncertain if the court would finally overturn Roe, which held that women have a fundamental right to terminate their pregnancies.

Mississippi's statute forbidding most abortions after 15 weeks, according to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., is not a "dramatic departure" from viability, and gives women adequate time to decide whether or not to terminate their pregnancies.

However, none of the court's six conservative members expressed support for upholding the court's ruling that states cannot prohibit abortion before fetal viability, which is commonly believed to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.

"Why would 15 weeks be an improper line?" he continued.

Other conservatives, on the other hand, showed little interest in overturning Roe v. Wade, which was decided in 1973, or Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which was decided in 1992. Instead, they stated that they were willing to simply get rid of both.

The court's liberal justices claimed that dismantling nearly a half-century of abortion jurisprudence due to a change in membership would irreversibly harm the institution's credibility.

However, the nearly two-hour debate seemed to indicate that President Donald Trump's three nominees — Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — will be crucial to the conclusion.

Oral arguments can be deceiving at times, with judges interrogating as if they were the devil's advocate. However, the questioning and debate on Wednesday will undoubtedly boost the hopes of a conservative movement that has made it a top priority to establish a Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

There was little reason for abortion rights supporters to believe they had a chance of overturning the Mississippi legislation, and plenty of reason to believe Roe and Casey would remain in place.

If the court's customary procedures are followed, the justices will vote on the case on Friday. However, it will likely be months before a decision is made; compromise is often a part of these discussions, and overturning precedents as deeply rooted as the court's abortion jurisprudence would elicit public outcry, as the public has consistently stated in polls that it supports Roe v. Wade, as well as some restrictions on abortion rights.