The Supreme Court weighs the right to abortion

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Mississippi 15-week abortion ban case on Wednesday. We discuss the arguments, the questions and what's at stake.

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Abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court

Abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington, as the court hears arguments in a case from Mississippi, where a 2018 law would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before viability. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in a much-anticipated abortion rights case about whether a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is constitutional.  Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization directly challenges Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that ensured the right to an abortion before fetal viability at around 23 weeks. Will the Court’s conservative majority uphold Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban or will they go even further and overturn Roe? While the decision isn’t likely to be out until June or July, we’ll talk about the arguments, what the justices signaled in their questioning, and discuss what the potential impacts on reproductive rights in America will be. Our guests are Villanova law professor MICHAEL MORELAND and KATHRYN KOLBERT, public interest attorney who argued the landmark case Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992 before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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