Final answer:
The Supreme Court has narrowed a woman's right to seek an abortion and upheld various state restrictions, evolving from the Roe v. Wade decision to more recent cases like Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, leading to a more restrictive landscape for abortion access across the U.S.
Step-by-step explanation:
In recent years, the Supreme Court has narrowed a woman's right to seek an abortion, while upholding various state restrictions to abortion access. The landmark decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973 initially established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. However, this has been complicated by subsequent cases such as Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992, which introduced the undue burden test. This allowed states to impose restrictions, provided they didn't place a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion. Other significant decisions include Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt in 2016, which reinforced the Roe decision by disallowing two Texas state regulations that placed heavy restrictions on how abortions were delivered. Most recently, the Supreme Court has shown openness to even further restrictions by agreeing to hear a Mississippi case that challenges abortion rights significantly.
Throughout this tumultuous legal landscape, anti-abortion advocates have shifted their strategy towards state legislatures, introducing laws that have made it more challenging to access abortions, especially for economically disadvantaged women. This has resulted in a patchwork of abortion access across the United States, with stark disparities between different states.