Today, the Supreme Court will hear Dobbs v. Jackson's Women's Health Organization, a major pro-life case.

When the Supreme Court announced they would hear the case, they specifically said they would consider the question, "Are all pre-viability bans on abortion unconstitutional?"

When the Supreme Court decided Roe v Wade nearly 50 years ago, scientists and doctors claimed that babies were considered viable at 28 weeks. Since then, medical advancements have increasingly pushed the age of viability earlier and earlier.

With today's medical care, premature babies are increasingly able to survive at 22 weeks or even earlier, meaning babies are able to survive at least a month and a half earlier than they were when Roe was decided.

AN UNBORN CHILD IS A HUMAN LIFE: 

• As early as 5 weeks:
  • Unborn babies in the womb have a heartbeat
  • Blood vessels are forming into the circulatory system
  • The brain and spinal cord are beginning to develop
• By 10 weeks:
  • Babies have arms and legs, fingers and toes
  • The baby can kick and will jump if startled
  • Their pain receptors have been developing for weeks (week 7)
• At 15 weeks, babies:
  • Have fully developed hearts – pumping 26 quarts of blood per day
  • Fully formed noses and lips, and eyelids and eyebrows
  • Can taste and make facial expressions, yawn, hiccup, swallow, and suck their thumbs
  • They can feel pain:
    • By 13 to 14 weeks, almost the entire body responds to light touch
    • Brain structures are mature enough by 15 weeks to process pain
    • Painful procedures trigger a hormonal stress response