Kathaleen Pittman likes to leave the door of her office at Hope Medical Group for Women open at the end of the day. That way she can watch patients leave after their abortions, and absorb the palpable sense of relief in the clinic’s hallways. “Being able to see them before the procedure, after the procedure, and just have them say how grateful they are that they were able to make it in when they did, that just can make all the difference in the world,” Pittman says. “Aside from the craziness, I absolutely still love this work.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court appeared divided in its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote.

Roberts did not say enough to tip his hand in an hour of spirited arguments at the high court Wednesday.

The court’s election-year look at a Louisiana dispute could reveal how willing the more conservative court is to roll back abortion rights. A decision should come by late June.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh signaled that he is open to state-level abortion restrictions in a high-profile Supreme Court hearing Wednesday.

The court's most junior member, closely watched because he is a Trump appointee who could swing the balance of the court toward ruling more abortion regulations as constitutional, was speaking during oral arguments in a case on Louisiana abortion regulations similar to Texas regulations the court struck down four years ago.