Showdown over abortion rights heading to the Supreme Court this fall

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in an abortion case out of Mississippi that pro-life proponents hope could result in a major rollback of abortion rights established nearly 50 years ago in the landmark case of Roe v. Wade.

The high court announced in an order issued Monday that it would take up the dispute, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The case concerns an abortion law passed in Mississippi in 2018 that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions.

The law had been blocked by lower courts, including the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which cited Supreme Court precedent preventing states from banning abortions before a fetus is able survive outside the womb, CNBC reported. Fetal viability is generally considered to occur at 22 weeks or later.