A look at the state of affairs, as the Supreme Court is expected to deliver an opinion by next week that could roll back 50 years of abortion rights in the US
Devona Smith, 20, with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights holds a baby doll, which the group said represented forced births, while marching to the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on June 18, 2022 in Falls Church, Virginia. According to the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights group, the dolls represent forced births. Abortion-rights protests at the homes of conservative justices have become common since a leaked, draft decision indicated the court may overturn Roe vs. Wade. Image: Nathan Howard/Getty Images/AFP
Washington, US: The Supreme Court is expected to deliver an opinion by the end of June that could roll back 50 years of abortion rights in the United States.
This is the state of affairs in the country ahead of the much-anticipated ruling by the nation's highest court:
In the absence of any federal laws, it is the 1973 ruling in the landmark Supreme Court case known as Roe v. Wade that guarantees a woman's right to an abortion in the United States.
A 1992 court decision, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, protects access to abortion until "viability," when the fetus can survive outside the womb, typically between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.
States are also not allowed to enact any laws that would impose an "undue burden" on a woman seeking an abortion.