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The fight for abortion rights continues.
On Dec.1, the Supreme Court will debate whether to keep a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks in lieu of the historic 1973 Roe V. Wade decision that has allowed women the right to the procedure for almost half a century.
The Magnolia state is also urging for the court to toss out the 1992 ruling in favor of Planned Parenthood V. Casey which further upheld Roe. V. Wade. Lawyers representing the state argue that the Constitution doesn’t support abortion and that it’s “egregiously wrong,” The New York Times noted. They are asking for the court to overrule the decision and to assess the question of whether abortion should be outlawed or permitted under specific circumstances. 90 percent of abortions are performed within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mississippi argues that the rule doesn’t take into account the state’s right to regulate abortion.
The move comes after Texas’ widely controversial 6-week abortion ban that went into effect on Sept. 1, following the Supreme court and federal appeals failure to come to an agreement on emergency requests presented by abortion providers. The strict policy gave private citizens the right to sue anyone who assisted a pregnant individual seeking to have an abortion within the outlawed timeframe, including the abortion facility and even healthcare officials. If the Supreme Court does agree to overturn Roe V. Wade in Mississippi, the state has already agreed to completely ban the procedure with the exception of rape or “preservation of the mother’s life,” The Washington Post reported.
Mississippi native and reproductive rights activists Laurie Bertram Roberts spoke on the issues with Marc Lamont Hill on the Black News Channel.
Without Roe, abortion will become inaccessible to many women in Mississippi forcing them to travel farther distances to access clinics that will provide the procedure. Some argue that overruling Roe could damage the legitimacy of the Supreme Court by taking away women’s constitutional right to abortion.
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