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​​As abortion comes under threat, are contraception and LGBTQ rights next?

The Supreme Court is likely to overturn the landmark ruling that guarantees the right to abortion in the US. Here’s why – and what might happen next

By Chrissy Stroop
​​As abortion comes under threat, are contraception and LGBTQ rights next?
Anti-abortion demonstrators outside the US Supreme Court during oral arguments on Mississippi’s abortion ban | Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo. All rights reserved
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The Christian Right and the Republican Party have worked for decades to chip away at the abortion rights that the 1973 landmark ruling Roe v Wade and the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v Casey are supposed to guarantee.

Now, a new case at the US Supreme Court (the country’s highest court) threatens to make the right to abortion care a thing of the past. So, what exactly is at stake and why is this happening?

Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban

On Wednesday 1 December, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health. In this case, Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks is being challenged. A ruling is expected in June 2022.

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