Supreme Court hears historic case on fate of abortion rights

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday is hearing a historic case on abortion rights that could involve overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday is hearing arguments over a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and whether decades of legal precedent since Roe v. Wade should be overturned.

Since the 1973 landmark Roe ruling and a 1992 case that affirmed the decision, the court has never allowed states to prohibit the termination of pregnancies prior to fetal viability outside the womb, roughly 24 weeks.

Mississippi argues Roe was wrongly decided and that each state should be allowed to set its own policy.

The sole abortion clinic in the state, Jackson Women's Health, and its allies say the high court's protection of a woman's right to choose the procedure is clear, well-established and should be respected.