In May, the Supreme Court decided it would hear the challenge to Mississippi’s law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks.
SCOTUS announced on Monday it would hear the arguments on December 1:
The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, was already positioned to be one of the highest-profile arguments of the 2021-22 term, because the state had specifically asked the court to overrule its landmark decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, holding that the Constitution protects the right to have an abortion before the fetus can survive outside the womb. But the spotlight on the case became even more intense earlier this month, when the Supreme Court turned down a request to block the enforcement of a Texas law that prohibits abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy.
SCOTUS precedent does not allow states to ban abortion before viability, which is around 24 weeks.
Mississippi wants the justices to reexamine the accepted viability timeframe:
In the case, Mississippi is asking the justices to reexamine that viability standard. The state argued that the viability rule prevented states from adequately defending maternal health and potential life.“It is well past time for the Court to revisit the wisdom of the viability bright-line rule,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch wrote in a brief filed with the justices.
I’m going to copy and paste what I wrote in May because it is so important.
Babies born at 22 or 23 weeks can survive with “experienced specialists in state-of-the-art NICUs.” It’s a slim chance, but a chance:
For babies born at 23 weeks or earlier who do survive, the odds of significant complications and/or lasting disabilities are much higher than for those that stay in the womb a few weeks longer.A 2015 study showed that babies born at 22 weeks may also have a small chance at survival, but death or serious health issues have an even higher probability of occurring.Also, note that according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, babies born before 23 weeks have a survival rate of just 5% to 6%. Of those that do survive, 98% to 100% have substantial complications and/or disability.
A pregnant woman can feel her baby move around 13-16 weeks. Around that time the movement feels more like a flutter, but she still feels the baby move. It becomes more pronounced around 20 weeks.
A pregnant woman can also find out the sex of her baby as early as 14 weeks. The ultrasound is generally taken between 18-21 weeks, but still, she can find out at 14 weeks. Maybe even earlier if she chooses to take the amino test to find out if the baby has any disorders.
More importantly, you can detect the baby’s heartbeat at six weeks via ultrasound.
Back in May, I expressed doubt SCOTUS would take any action even if it heard the arguments because they’ve always used precedent to back out of making any changes to Roe v Wade.
But then SCOTUS refused to halt the Texas pro-life law, which bans abortion after a viable heartbeat.
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