Court takes up Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
WASHINGTON — On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, an abortion case concerning a Mississippi law passed in 2018.
“We applaud the U.S. Supreme Court for examining the Mississippi law,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life (NRLC). “We know more today about the life of a child in the womb than we did fifty years ago. The medical advances made in our knowledge of unborn children and their care and treatment are astonishing.”
Tobias added, “Today, viability is not a characteristic of the baby but of how advanced our technology has become.”
The question before the High Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is whether all prohibitions on abortions performed pre-viability are unconstitutional.
“But there is, of course, precedent in the Court’s jurisprudence for prohibiting abortions before viability,” said Jennifer Popik, J.D., federal legislative director for NRLC. “The 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act banned a particular abortion procedure that was used both before and after what is considered viability. It was found to be constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007.”
Popik noted, “The NRLC-led debate over partial-birth abortions broke new ground in the abortion debate and the constitutional finding by the Court clearly paved the way for future rulings.”
According to the Guttmacher Institute (which enjoys a historical relationship with Planned Parenthood), in 2016, 94.6% of all abortions were performed at 15 weeks of pregnancy or earlier. Guttmacher reported in 2016 that 5.4% took place after 16 weeks of pregnancy. Applying 5.4% to the total numbers reported by Guttmacher for 2016 yields 47,201 abortions.
At 15 weeks of pregnancy, a little boy or girl’s heart has been beating for over two months. Other developmental milestones already reached include:
- At six weeks, brain waves can be detected.
- At seven weeks, the baby is kicking and swimming.
- At week eight, every organ is in place and the baby can begin to hear.
- At weeks nine and ten, teeth begin to form, fingernails develop. The baby can turn her head and frown. The baby can hiccup.
- At week 11, the baby can grasp objects placed in her hand; all organ systems are functioning. The baby also has a skeletal structure, nerves, and circulation.
The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Mississippi abortion law represents a significant moment in the ongoing debate over reproductive rights in the United States. Mississippi’s law bans abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, with exceptions for medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormalities. The Supreme Court’s decision to take up this case has the potential to reconsider Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion rights in the United States. Those who advocate for abortion rights view this review as a direct threat to the historic decision in Roe v. Wade and to women’s reproductive rights nationwide. Conversely, opponents of abortion view it as an opportunity to overturn or at least weaken the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. Therefore, the Supreme Court’s decision will have far-reaching implications for legislation and society in the United States, placing the abortion debate at the forefront of public discourse.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
