The pending Supreme Court decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade is poised to usher in a new era in the abortion wars that have rocked American politics for a half-century.

Democrats and Republicans have battled over abortion rights in nearly every election since the landmark 1973 ruling. But rather than end this polarizing fight, a Republican legal victory in the Supreme Court that shifts the issue to the discretion of the states would simply alter the contours of a debate. It is expected to rage as hotly as it has for the past five decades.