CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is praising a U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear arguments as to the constitutionality of a pro-life law passed in Mississippi.
On May 17, the Court agreed to consider a challenge to a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The justices will hear the case in their next term, which starts in October.
“We appreciate the Supreme Court’s willingness to hear and fully consider the constitutionality of Mississippi’s law,” Morrisey said. “The statute extends access to the foundational promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all – including the unborn. I firmly believe life is precious and will vigorously defend life in court.”
Morrisey
Last July, Morrisey was part of an 18-state coalition that urged the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in the case. Lower courts ruled against the Mississippi law.
If the court rules the law is constitutional, states could be allowed to ban abortions before a fetus is viable outside of the womb.
In the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which was reaffirmed in 1992, the court said states could not ban abortion before the viability of the fetus outside the womb, which is generally viewed as between 24 and 28 weeks.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, has said she will defend the law.