Pro- and Anti-Abortion Rights Demonstrators Gather in DC as Supreme Court Hears Case

Dozens of protesters gathered in Washington, DC, as the US Supreme Court heard a case challenging abortion rights on December 1.

The Mississippi law at the heart of the debate bans most abortions after 15 weeks into pregnancy and has not yet taken effect because lower courts said the law violated existing abortion laws, including the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

A doctor at the only abortion clinic in Mississippi sued the state, saying that the ban at 15 weeks places an undue burden on the right to procure the procedure.

Demonstrators on both sides of the debate gathered outside the Supreme Court, with protesters on opposing sides separated by a metal gate. Some had slept outside the courthouse the night before.

The Washington Post notes that the most controversial and difficult Supreme Court cases, such as this, are often not resolved until late June, when the term finishes.

This footage by local reporter Massimiliano Herber shows various protesters in front of the US Supreme Court. Credit: Massimiliano Herber via Storyful