I am not--not--assigning this for our course. But I know many of you are very interested in this case and in the abortion liberty. Here are some resources you may wish to consult over the Winter Break.
Here is a link to Oyez on Dobbs
This includes a link to the oral argument in the case. The oral argument was very interesting. It runs about 2 hours, but it is worth your time.
And here is how Oyez summarizes the case:
Facts of the case
In 2018, Mississippi passed a law called the “Gestational Age Act,” which prohibits all abortions, with few exceptions, after 15 weeks’ gestational age. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the only licensed abortion facility in Mississippi, and one of its doctors filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the law and requesting an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO). After a hearing, the district court granted the TRO while the litigation proceeded to discovery. After discovery, the district court granted the clinic’s motion for summary judgment and enjoined Mississippi from enforcing the law, finding that the state had not provided evidence that a fetus would be viable at 15 weeks, and Supreme Court precedent prohibits states from banning abortions prior to viability. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed.
Question
Is Mississippi’s law banning nearly all abortions after 15 weeks’ gestational age unconstitutional?
The Supreme Court will decide the case in 2022, probably at the end of June or early July.
And remember, both sides of this issue are pursuing social justice and life, liberty, and equality for all. They just have competing visions of what is at stake, competing understandings of the good. The mission of the Law College does not pick ideological sides. We encourage all of our students to pursue life, liberty, and equality based upon your own vision of social justice.
