Supreme Court Hears Mississippi Abortion Case as Demonstrators Gather

Crowds of protesters gathered in Washington as the 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’ pregnancy and has not yet taken effect because lower courts said it violated existing abortion laws, including the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling.

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.

Pro- and anti-abortion rights demonstrators gathered outside the Supreme Court, separated by a metal barrier. Some had slept outside the courthouse the night before.

This footage, by Gabe Fleisher, shows pro-abortion rights demonstrators chanting. The metal barrier separating them from anti-abortion rights groups is also visible in this footage. Credit: Gabe Fleisher/Wake Up To Politics via Storyful