Politics & Government

Photos: Protests Intensify As Supreme Court Hears Abortion Case

Protesters swarm outside as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on an abortion case that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

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Anti-abortion protesters surround abortion rights advocates as both groups demonstrate Wednesday in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington D.C.
Anti-abortion protesters surround abortion rights advocates as both groups demonstrate Wednesday in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as the justices heard arguments on a Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban.

The landmark Roe v. Wade ruling nearly 50 years ago that declared a nationwide right to end a pregnancy is on the line with the case.

The court, which has a conservative majority, has signaled that it will uphold a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks and overrule the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

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Mississippi also is asking the court to overrule the 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe.

The justices are expected to rule in June.

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Anti-abortion protesters wear shirts that read "I am the Pro-Life Generation" and hold signs as they demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday as the court hears arguments in a case from Mississippi, where a 2018 law would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before viability. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Stephen Parlato of Boulder, Colorado, holds a sign that reads "Hands Off Roe!!!" as abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Anti-abortion protesters wearing doctors uniforms demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Abortion rights advocates demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Anti-abortion protesters and abortion rights advocates demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Anti-abortion protesters wearing doctors uniforms pray together in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
A sign that reads "My Faith Respects Your Choice" is visible on the ground as abortion rights advocates demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Among the least graphic signage used by anti-abortion activists are these two that face the parking lot of the Jackson Women's Health Organization, a state-licensed abortion clinic in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday. A small group of anti-abortion activists stood outside the clinic in an effort to dissuade patients from entering. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court hears a case that directly challenges the constitutional right to an abortion established nearly 50 years ago. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Police officers walk along the road where abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Abortion rights advocates hold signs that read "Abortion is Essential" as they demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, speaks during a rally supporting abortion rights advocates as they rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
A man wears a sign on his back that reads "Unborn Lives Matter" as he and other anti-abortion protesters wearing doctors uniforms demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
People demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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