Repro Roundup: SCOTUS to decide whether to hear Mississippi’s abortion ban today, could overturn Roe

Welcome to my column, The Repro Roundup, in which I summarize abortion news happening around the country, why it matters, and what you can do about it — in 250 words or less.

What’s the issue? The Supreme Court is deciding whether or not to hear a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban — one of the strictest in the country — today. This ban directly conflicts with one of Roe’s pre-viability bans on abortion that prevent any state from banning abortion before a fetus is viable to survive outside the womb. If the Supreme Court decides to hear the case and sides with Mississippi, one of the last protections of Roe will fall and abortion can likely be made illegal across the country. Normally, the Supreme Court justices deliberate on whether to take a case on a Friday and announce their final decision on the following Monday, but given the election on Tuesday, they may decide to wait. If they do decide to take the case, they will announce the date of the oral arguments on the same day.

Why does this matter? As I’ve mentioned in previous Roundups, Roe is important because it makes abortion legal on a Federal level. However, many of the protections we originally won with Roe have long been gutted. For low-income women and women of color, in particular, abortion is inaccessible. Now that Barrett is confirmed to the Court, it is extremely likely that legal abortion will be overturned on a Federal level, and 24 states will automatically outlaw abortion in their state.

What action can I take?

• Contact your senators and urge them to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would make abortion federally legal through the Legislature instead of the Judiciary, using this form from NCJW
• Learn more about WHPA with the Act for Women Campaign
• Clinic escort with We Engage, the org that supports the Pinkhouse Defenders, that supports Mississippi’s only abortion clinic
• Donate to the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund, an abortion fund that helps finance costs related to abortion (including travel and childcare) for anyone in MS or anyone traveling to/from MS for care

• Subscribe to The Repro Queen of DC, my monthly newsletter on abortion access, activism, and writing on the frontlines of DC.
• Subscribe to Repro 101, a seven-week educational email series about all things repro. Topics include the basics of funding abortion, clinic escorting, anti-choice violence, and more.
• Read more of my work, browse the services I offer, and more.
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