Biden administration calls on Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade

The Biden administration on Monday urged the Supreme Court to uphold the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the right to an abortion.

The administration filed an amicus brief in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which challenges the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban.

The brief argues that Roe v. Wade and the subsequent 1992 ruling Planned Parenthood vs. Casey recognize that forcing a patient to continue with a pregnancy is a “profound intrusion on her autonomy, her bodily integrity, and her equal standing in society.”

“At the same time, Roe and Casey recognize that States have important interests, including in protecting women’s health and the potentiality of human life,” the brief reads. “The Court should reject petitioners’ invitation to upset that careful balance by removing the woman’s interests from the scale.”

Oral arguments for the case are expected to start Dec. 1, with the Court potentially reaching a decision in June. Separately, the administration filed a motion to present oral arguments in the case.

Significance: In a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) has urged the Supreme Court to use the state’s case to overturn the decades-old precedent that recognized a constitutional right to abortion before a fetus is viable.

Challengers of the law, abortion providers and advocates have sounded the alarm over the case, with more than 500 female athletes and almost 900 state lawmakers filing briefs opposing the legislation.