US Supreme Court to hear case that may lead to end of Roe v. Wade

On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving the Mississippi abortion law passed in 2018 banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

For the first time in history, and since the defining "Roe vs. Wade" case in 1973, the SCOTUS will have to weigh in on an abortion law passed at the state level.

The controversial law in question was passed by the Mississippi state legislature, but then blocked by the court system, which at the time said that it contravened the SCOTUS's own 1973 precedent, striking the law down.

As it stands, the law would allow for abortions past the fifteen-week limit in cases of extreme medical emergencies or severe problems with the fetus, according to the NY Post.

Mississippi District Court Judge Carlton Reeves, at the time of striking the law down, wrote in his legal opinion:

"The state chose to pass a law it knew was unconstitutional to endorse a decades-long campaign, fueled by national interest groups, to ask the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade."

"This court follows the commands of the Supreme Court and the dictates of the United States Constitution, rather than the disingenuous calculations of the Mississippi Legislature."

The case will be heard most probably sometime later in the year 2021. The main issue debated will be the potential viability of the fetus outside the womb at 15 weeks of gestation, in the light of current medical technology and in accordance with "Roe vs. Wade"'s legal precedent.