Timeline of events that led to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Dobbs – Dec. 1, 2021
After agreeing to hear an appeal in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson, the lawsuit over Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, the high court hears oral arguments in the case.
Outside of the Supreme Court building while arguments were being held, both pro-life and pro-choice protesters held dueling demonstrations, with the former expressing optimism.
“One important thing to note is that Justice Roberts, the chief justice, asked some very significant and powerful questions,” said Father Frank Pavone, the director of the group Priests for Life, at the time.
“Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh went through a whole litany of the … instances in which the Supreme Court reversed its precedent.”
“It is apparent from the questions that a majority of the Court is seriously considering at least rejecting the viability line that currently prohibits prohibitions on abortion prior to viability,” stated James Bopp Jr. of the National Right to Life.
“But the key question seems to be how far the Court is willing to go, either a decision that just rejects the viability line, permitting states to argue that prohibitions on abortion prior to viability are justified by sufficiently compelling state interests or if they will issue a broader decision which explicitly either totally or partially overrules Roe and/or Casey.