Supreme Court thrusts abortion into midterms fight with Mississippi case

Washington — The Supreme Court's decision this week to take up a blockbuster bid by Mississippi to save its 15-week abortion ban has thrust the politically charged issue into the midterm elections fight, with both sides of the debate over abortion access hoping the case and forthcoming decision will drive their respective voters to the polls in 2022.

The justices on Monday agreed to hear the case involving Mississippi's law prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. A ruling upholding the ban could give Republican-led states the green light to impose more restrictions on the procedure and weaken Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that established a woman's right to an abortion. For pro-abortion rights advocates, the decision by the court, now with a 6-3 conservative majority, gives Democrats the chance to amplify the daylight between Republicans over their views on abortion, which they believe will be a boon to Democratic candidates given the support from Americans for leaving Roe intact.