The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday will decide whether to curtail abortion rights in the United States, as it considers Mississippi's quest to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalised the operation worldwide.

The court is slated to rule by next June, and both advocates and opponents believe that the case ruling might be a watershed moment for women's reproductive rights.

Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 decision, established that abortion is a woman's fundamental right, overturning state restrictions on the operation. Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 decision, affirmed a woman's right to an abortion until the embryo is viable outside the womb, which is usually 22 to 24 weeks.

The Supreme Court's decisions did not, however, put an end to conservative and religious resistance to abortion, and anti-abortion campaigners believe their time has come after years of political and judicial struggles. The court suggested that it was willing to rethink its past judgments just by agreeing to hear the case, at least when it came to the matter of "viability."

Under Xi Jinping's leadership, global campaign to exploit extradition accords

Australian researchers discover molecular signals on exercise pill

EU investment strategy to compete with China's Belt and Road Initiative