On Monday, May 17, The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided that it would hear arguments on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. Passed in 2018, this unconstitutional bill was passed with the intent of making it to the Supreme Court and overturning Roe v. Wade.

Well, here we are.

This case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is a direct challenge to 50 years of precedent, and is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, given the conservative makeup of the court.

The Court has had this case on its docket since June 2020, and rescheduled it weekly until January 2021, deciding only then to schedule it for consideration, and only now has decided to hear oral arguments on it in October. One would think that they wouldn’t put it on the docket for October if they didn’t believe there is room for change in precedent. So, things aren’t looking too promising, shall we say…

Mississippi asked the Court to consider three issues: 1) whether all prohibitions on pre-viability abortions are unconstitutional; 2) whether the validity of a pre-viability law that protects women’s health, the dignity of unborn children, and the integrity of the medical profession and society should be analyzed under Casey’s undue burden standard or Hellerstedt’s balancing of benefits and burdens; and 3) whether abortion providers have third party standing to invalidate a law.

The Court chose to only hear arguments on the question that can entirely invalidate Roe v. Wade, whether all pre-viability bans are unconstitutional. Because really, isn’t that ALL that matters? Why bother with anything else?

So, in October, the Supreme Court session will start, and the Court will hear arguments that may take away the right to abortion for millions. The decision won’t come until spring or summer of next year.

A few things to think about between here and there…

Abortion is legal and available in Mississippi. Jackson Women's Health Organization is open for patients and we will be there for them when they arrive.

We REALLY need to think about how we got to this point, because we shouldn’t be here. THIS close to losing our rights to self-determination over our reproductive choices. What brought us here? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…

Jackson Women’s Health Organization is an independent clinic. Giving to Planned Parenthood or NARAL doesn’t help in our efforts here. Mississippi doesn’t have a NARAL chapter and there is one small Planned Parenthood office in Hattiesburg, MS that doesn’t provide abortion care. PP has a lobbyist during legislative session. That’s how it is here.

If you want to donate and support, The Center for Reproductive Rights and the Mississippi Center for Justice do the heavy lifting here and are the reason this state has a clinic, along with clinic owner Diane Derzis, clinic director Shannon Brewer and the dedicated staff at JWHO aka the Pinkhouse (Pink House).

We Engage and the Pinkhouse Defenders are outside supporting these awesome people and the patients the best we can.

That’s what’s up. This is not a drill. We are looking at losing the protection afforded by Roe v. Wade. And we have “allies” that can’t even say “abortion.”

And that’s why we are here.