Two of the biggest abortion cases in a generation have gone before the U.S. Supreme Court in the past month — Mississippi’s ban on the procedure after 15 months and Texas’ ban once a heartbeat is detected. The Texas law leaves enforcement up to the individual, which critics deride as sanctioned body-hunting.
The conservative majority on the high court seems likely to uphold both laws. It’s seen as a big defeat for the abortion rights movement, and it’s the latest chapter in a decades-long trend, says correspondent Amy Littlefield, who wrote about it in a new essay for the New York Times.