News4’s Juliana Valencia reports.
The Supreme Court released a pair of new opinions Monday morning, but a ruling on the future of abortion rights was not one of them. The anti-abortion group Students for Life of America held a rally outside of the court anyway, and they plan to return as the nation awaits a final decision that could overturn Roe vs. Wade.
The court is expected to rule on Dobbs Vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The case centers on a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of gestation.
A ruling is expected this summer, but there had been a chance the opinion would have been announced Monday morning.
"It doesn't matter how far we have to drive," said Cash Deane of Students for Life. "We wanted to be here to witness this historic decision."
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If the high court upholds the law, which many expect it will, it would further weaken or even strike down the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision. Lower courts have prevented enforcement of the law with preliminary injunctions, and the Supreme Court took on the case for review this term.
On Monday, advocate groups outside the courthouse consisted mostly of anti-abortion advocates.
"Abortion betrays women; it harms women; it obviously harms their unborn child, and it hurts families too," said Hannah Wolfe of Students for Life. "Which is why we're against abortion and why we think that abortion needs to be ended in our country."
Jackson Women's Health Organization, which is at the center of this case, is the only abortion clinic in Mississippi.
NBC News recently talked to the clinic director who says they're going to continue to operate as normal. If they can no longer work in Mississippi, there are plans to open a new facility in New Mexico if abortions are outlawed in Mississippi.
