Mississippi passed the Gestational Age Act in 2018, which limited abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, in an effort to protect women and unborn children. Many pro-choice advocates protested the law, as the accepted point of viability was between 21-22 weeks gestation. This resulted in a case being brought before the Supreme Court, challenging previous rulings regarding Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.
In the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Mississippi law in June 2022, therefore returning control of abortion back to the states after 50 years.
Since the Dobbs decision that led to the Supreme Court overturning Roe, many pro-life organizations have said "That's great, but we still have work to do." That mindset continues today, even though many states have taken steps to restrict abortion in various ways.
Noah Brandt of Live Action, a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to the pro-life movement, says it's great that states are helping to protect life, but even people in those states can help save lives by staying educated and spreading the word to family and friends in pro-abortion states.
"There's a ton you can do," says Brandt. "At the end of the day, abortion will always be a national issue, as our 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees every person equal protection under the law."
Based on that, Brandt says the federal government has a huge role to play.
"Continue to advocate with your members of congress, with your senators, with even the president, but the most important thing we can do is to educate people," says Brandt. "Talk about this to friends, talk about it at church, at sports games, on social media. Live Action has a ton of resources to help."
