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Emily says she was providing care to a patient the day the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v Wade came down. (Supplied: Emily Freeman)

As the US Supreme Court prepared to hand down its decision on Friday, Emily Freeman was racing against the clock at a clinic in Missouri.

Uncertain of when a ruling on the country's abortion rights might occur, the obstetrician and gynaecologist scrambled to help a patient who had travelled for nearly four hours to undergo a medical procedure that would be completely banned in the state by the end of the day.