The U.S. Supreme Court announced today it would hear an abortion case from Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, concerning a 2018 law that protects unborn babies in the 15th week of pregnancy and later from abortion.

Louisiana Right to Life is watching this case closely and is excited the Supreme Court now has the opportunity to revisit precedent protecting abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade. Because of that precedent alone, lower courts ruled the Mississippi law unconstitutional.

The outcome of this case will affect Louisiana Act 468, passed in 2018 and similar to Mississippi’s 15-week law. However, because the Mississippi law had already been challenged, the Louisiana law did not take effect at that time. Instead, it passed contingent on the outcome of court decisions about Mississippi’s law.

Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper said the following after the news was announced this morning: “We applaud the U.S. Supreme Court for agreeing to review Mississippi’s law protecting unborn babies at the 15th week of pregnancy. This decision has major implications for Louisiana, as the enforcement of a similar Louisiana law (2018 Act 468) is tied to the outcome of this Mississippi case.

“At 15 weeks, the living unborn baby is the size of a pear. The 15-week baby loves to suck her thumb and practice her in-utero acrobatics. Parents even may be able to learn the baby’s gender about this time as well. We encourage the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Mississippi’s law, allowing states to protect these precious unborn babies.”