I must have sat down five or six times to write something comprehensive about Roe v. Wade (1973), but the subject is simply too big for a blog post, so I’ve given up on that. Instead, let me share with you a few things about abortion in the United States I learned while researching for that post. But first, a quick look at the status of Roe . Roe established a constitutional right to an abortion up to the time a fetus is viable outside the womb, generally accepted to occur at about 24 weeks . The Supreme Court heard a challenge to Roe earlier this month in a case called Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. That case arises out of Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act , which was deliberately crafted to give the Court the opportunity to overturn Roe. The Act prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be determined, generally accepted to occur at about 15 weeks . While the Gestational Age Act, on its face, might not seem to present ...