'An Abortion Desert': Mississippi Women May Feel Effect of Louisiana Case
A Louisiana abortion law would turn the Bayou State into "an abortion desert" and would have strong ripple effects for women in Mississippi and other states across the country, opponents say. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the case Wednesday.
Appeals Court Keeps Block on Mississippi 6-Week Abortion Ban
A federal appeals court is keeping a block on a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions as early as about six weeks—a stage when many women may not even know they are pregnant.
GOP Wants to Override Jackson's Abortion Clinic 'Buffer Zone' Law
Jackson's medical facility "buffer zone" law, which minimizes protest activities in the immediate vicinity of the state's only abortion clinic, may be short-lived if a Republicans bill in the Mississippi Legislature becomes law.
Hyde-Smith, Wicker 'Gunning to End Roe': Ask High Court to Overturn
Mississippi's two U.S. senators, Republicans Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion nationwide.
Hood Wants 15-week Abortion Ban Appeal Reconsidered by Full 5th Circuit
Mississippi wants a redo after a federal appeals court struck down its 2018 law that bans women from having abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood filed a motion asking the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to reconsider the law's constitutionality on Dec. 27.
Hyde-Smith Bill Targets Medication Abortions with 'SAVE Moms and Babies Act'
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is joining other anti-abortion politicians who are increasingly prioritizing legislative efforts designed to restrict access to federally approved abortion medication.
Abortion Inches Closer to Supreme Court
Earlier this year, Mississippi House Rep. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, told the Jackson Free Press that part of the goal of bills like the heartbeat bill and the 15-week ban is to get a case to the Supreme Court.
Mississippi Vows Further Appeal After Loss on Abortion Ban
Phil Bryant, Mississippi's outgoing Republican governor, vowed Saturday to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Mississippi's ban on abortion at 15 weeks a day after a federal appeals court ruled the ban was unconstitutional.
Abortion at Center as Women's Groups Offer Collins, Fitch Endorsements
EMILY's List, a Washington, D.C.-based group dedicated to helping elect more women to offices nationwide, on Tuesday endorsed Democrat Jennifer Riley Collins in the Mississippi attorney general's race.
Anti-Abortion Activists Claim Right to 'Shout' at, 'Approach' Patients in Lawsuit
Anti-abortion activists in Jackson claim in a new lawsuit that they have a "right" to "congregate," "shout" and approach patients outside the abortion clinic in Fondren "without first obtaining their consent."
Mississippi's Six-Week Abortion Ban at 5th Circuit Appeals Court Today
Mississippi's ban on abortions after a heartbeat becomes detectable could be revived if a three-judge panel in New Orleans decides to reverse a Jackson federal judge's earlier ruling that the law is unconstitutional.
Jackson Restricts Anti-Abortion Activists With New Buffer Zone, Noise Law
Anti-abortion protesters in Jackson will now have to voice their concerns standing at least 15 feet away from the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Fondren, and will no longer be able to engage in loud activities, such as shouting or using loud-speaker systems to get their message out.
'Almost Social Terrorism': Abortion Clinic Protests Hurt Their Business, Owners Say
Clinic workers, as well as Fondren residents and business owners urged the Jackson City Council to pass an ordinance that would limit some of the protesters' activities outside Mississippi's only abortion clinic.
UPDATED: Abortion Clinic 'Buffer Zone' Draws Ag Commish, Protesters to City Hall
The City is set to vote on a proposal to limit protest activities outside the state's only abortion clinic.
Defending 6-Week Ban, Mississippi Says Anti-Abortion Laws Have Not Reduced Access
Reproductive rights lawyers cite Gov. Phil Bryant's statements promising to end abortion in Mississippi in their recent court filing as they ask a federal judge to permanently block a law he signed this year to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected.
AG Candidates Praise 'Heartbeat Bill,' Anti-LGBT Laws, Tort Reform
About 50 people showed up at a venue that would seat 1,200 on Wednesday night to hear Republican candidates explain why voters should elect them as Mississippi's next attorney general—the state's chief legal officer who holds the power to bring or defend against lawsuits on behalf of the state.
Southern ‘Defiance’: The Fight for Roe Rages in Mississippi
Earlier this month, Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, who sponsored an anti-abortion bill in Mississippi this year, told the Jackson Free Press that those laws are indeed intended to trigger a Roe "test case" before the Supreme Court.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mississippi Male Leaders Again Pretend to Value ‘Life’
Some things are universal, or should be. That includes never forcing a woman to have a child, lose her contraception or forbid a safe way to help her have a baby.
As Mississippi Debates Abortion, Maternal Mortality Remains High
In Mississippi, pregnant women already die at higher rates than in most of the country, and the state is near the top in infant mortality.
'I Am Pissed Off': Mississippians Rage Against Abortion Bans
Opponents of abortion bans nationwide held #StopTheBans rallies across the country on Tuesday.
Mississippi Six-Week Abortion Ban 'Smacks of Defiance,' Federal Judge Says
U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves did not rule on whether or not he will block Mississippi's six-week abortion ban in federal court today. He said he will issue a ruling at a later date on whether to block it from taking effect.
Louisiana 'Heartbeat Bill' Relies on Mississippi Taxpayers' Legal Defense
The Louisiana Senate passed a six-week abortion ban modeled after the one Mississippi passed in March, but with one caveat: If the Louisiana one becomes law, it will not go into effect unless Mississippi's fetal heartbeat law survives a federal court challenge.
Democrats, Activists 'Infuriated' as Hood Defends Six-Week Abortion Ban
Abortion-rights activists and some Democratic leaders are unhappy with Mississippi's leading Democratic candidate for governor, state Attorney General Jim Hood, after his office filed a brief in defense of the state's new six-week abortion ban.
The Pink House Deals With ‘Heartbeat Bill’ Fallout
"Jesus loves you, mommy. Mommy, please don't kill me," a child's voice pleads from a large speaker system outside Mississippi's last abortion clinic, which is known among its defenders as "The Pink House."
Mississippi AG Candidate Vows to Defend Six-Week Abortion Ban
State Rep. Mark Baker, a Republican candidate for Mississippi attorney general, is pledging to take the state's recently passed abortion ban all the way to the Supreme Court.
Gov. Bryant Signs Abortion Ban in Deadliest State for Babies
With Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves at his side, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed the nation's most restrictive abortion bill into law on Thursday morning.
Legislative Update: Fetal Heartbeats, Teacher Pay, Tort Reform
Daniella Dismuke-Roja is an activist who is challenging laws that she believes threaten the rights of Mississippians. On March 14, she traveled to Jackson and joined a group of Democratic state legislators and Planned Parenthood activists to protest the state's fetal heartbeat bill.
Mississippi: The Battleground for Roe v. Wade’s Future?
Red states, emboldened by the Trump regime, are passing hardline anti-abortion laws aimed at triggering a reconsideration of Roe at the nation's highest court—laws like the fetal heartbeat bills the Mississippi House and Senate passed on Feb. 13.
Dem Lt. Gov. Hopeful Voted for Abortion Ban So White Dems Don't Go Extinct
Hit with a wave of anger from his own party after he voted for a bill that essentially bans abortions after six weeks, Mississippi House Rep. Jay Hughes offered a defense: He did it so white Democrats like himself don't go the way of the dinosaur.
Legislative Update: Tort Reform, Heartbeat Bills, Teacher Pay Moves Forward
On Feb. 13, the House and Senate passed "fetal heartbeat" bills, which ban abortions after a heartbeat is detected. Doctors can detect heartbeats as early as six weeks, making it a de facto ban on almost all abortions.
Fetal Heartbeat Ban 'A Direct Challenge to Roe,' Activists Warn
Abortion-rights activists are warning that Mississippi's fetal-heartbeat bills, and others like them, are part of an effort to instigate a U.S. Supreme Court case that could overturn constitutional protections for reproductive rights.
#MSLeg: Broadband, Abortion, Prison Reform
On Jan. 31, legislators in the Mississippi House Education Committee advanced to the House floor a bill designed to help prepare schools for the worst: the possibility of gun violence.
AG Hood Supports 15-Week Abortion Ban in Appeal to 5th Circuit
Jim Hood, Mississippi's attorney general and a 2019 gubernatorial candidate, filed an appeal on behalf of the state's 15-week abortion ban on Dec. 17, about a month after U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves blocked it.
‘They Want a Roe Test Case’: 15-Week Abortion Ban Moving Forward
For eight months, the nation's toughest abortion bill hung in limbo. The 2018 Mississippi Legislature sent the Gestational Age Act, called HB 1510, to Gov. Phil Bryant, who signed it into law on March 19.
OPINION: Hello, Cindy, We See You on Women's Health and Abortion
These past weeks Cindy Hyde-Smith has done a great job of yelling "abortion, abortion, abortion" every chance she gets, but the truth is that abortion is not at issue here.
Governor Calls Abortion ‘Black Genocide,’ Defends Hyde-Smith on ‘Hanging’ Tape
As state and national controversy swirls around U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s comment about a public hanging” in her race against an African American opponent, Gov. Phil Bryant opened a press conference this morning implying that black women are participating in “the genocide of 20 million African American children” through legal abortions
Planned Parenthood Braces for Battle
Federal funds cannot pay for abortions, but anti-abortion rights advocates and lawmakers object to funding Planned Parenthood at all with federal and state dollars due to the fact that they still offer abortions.
OPINION: Anti-Abortion Laws Won’t Stop Abortions. Eradicating Poverty Could.
"Making it more difficult for residents to access abortions won’t stop women from doing so. ... We must first address the No. 1 factor that appears to drive the demand for abortion: poverty."
Clinic Widens Challenge of Mississippi Abortion Restrictions
Mississippi's only abortion clinic is expanding its challenge of a state law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.
Judge Blocks Newly Signed 15-Week Abortion Ban for 10 Days
It took less than 24 hours for Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban to become law and then be stopped from taking effect.
Reversing 'Roe'; Outside Group Uses Mississippi as 'Bait' to End Abortion
The State of Mississippi's Republican legislative leadership may have just decided to end all abortions after 15 weeks, but they used a template developed outside the state. The legislation is designed to "bait" abortion-rights proponents into a fight over ending abortion outright, the bill's architect group admits.
Court Blocks Law That Would Close Mississippi's Only Abortion Clinic
A federal court on Friday permanently blocked Mississippi's law that threatened to close the state's only abortion clinic by setting a hospital-privileges requirement the clinic couldn't fulfill.
BREAKING: Mississippi’s Abortion Clinic Shutdown Law Permanently Blocked
A federal district court permanently blocked Mississippi’s Texas-style clinic shutdown law today, ensuring the last abortion clinic in the state will remain open.
UPDATED: City Agreement Outrages Abortion Clinic Owner, Staff
Pro-Life Mississippi protesters reached an agreement with the City of Jackson recently in federal court to limit what they say are breaches of their constitutional right to protest. But the two parties did not consult with the clinic's owner, manager or any of the women who visit for treatment.
City Agrees to Stop Interfering with Anti-abortion Protesters in Fondren
The City of Jackson recently entered into its second consent decree with a group of these protesters over interactions with the Jackson Police Department, alleging that police officers have consistently infringed their First Amendment rights since 1996.
Planned Parenthood Pushes Challenge of Mississippi Law
Planned Parenthood is asking a federal judge to quickly rule in its favor and overturn a Mississippi law that bans Medicaid spending with any health care provider that offers abortion.
Abortion in Mississippi: ‘The Fight’s Not Over’
Derenda Hancock and two other Pink House Defenders were sitting anxiously outside the Jackson Women's Health Organization with donuts and coffee the morning of June 27, all checking their phones for the news. Hancock saw it first on SCOTUS Blog.
The Curious Case of What the #MSLeg Passed, What It Didn’t
With their right to spend their campaign donations on mortgages, automobiles, clothing, tuition payments or non-documented loans still firmly in place, state lawmakers closed up shop early and skipped town last week.
Firing Squads Out, But ‘Spice’ Regs, Execution Secrecy, Planned Parenthood Limits Headed to Governor
The state’s one Planned Parenthood clinic will lose Medicaid reimbursements if Gov. Phil Bryant signs a bill headed to his desk.
Debate Rages Over Causes of Abortion Declines
Abortion numbers could be down for multiple reasons, including higher distribution of contraceptives and the lowering of teen-pregnancy rates in states like in Colorado.
Target: Abortion Rights, Public Ed, LGBT Custody
Women's rights and public education topped the Mississippi legislative agenda as it rolled past the Jan. 19 deadline for filing bills and into the fourth week of the session, while a move by a Democratic lawmaker to limit LGBT custody of children roiled many members of his own party.
In Surprise Move, State's Abortion Clinic Added to Bill Restricting Planned Parenthood Funding
In a surprise move Tuesday, the Mississippi House targeted Medicaid funding for the state’s only abortion clinic in addition to the state’s sole Planned Parenthood clinic. The bill would prohibit the Mississippi Division of Medicaid from paying any entity that performs non-therapeutic abortions.
'Proper Burials' for 'Unborn Infants' Sought in Mississippi Bill
The Mississippi Unborn Infants Dignity Act would entitle "miscarried, stillborn or aborted infants" to "proper burials" and make selling the "broken bodies of aborted infants" for scientific experimentation a crime in the state of Mississippi.
'Unborn Child Protection' Bill Passes Mississippi House, 'Dangerous Precedent'?
The "Mississippi Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act" passed the Mississippi House of Representatives last week, meaning that legislators are back in the business of pushing anti-abortion legislation.
Several States Seek to Block 2nd Trimester Abortion Method
Abortion opponents in Mississippi, West Virginia and several other states are filing bills to ban an abortion procedure commonly used in the second trimester that opponents describe as dismembering a fetus.
Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic Safe for Now
Mississippi's last abortion clinic, which has been fighting a state admitting-privileges law for three years, is open—for now.
Jackson Abortion Clinic's Fate Up to SCOTUS
Mississippi is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let it enforce an abortion law that had been declared unconstitutional by a lower court.
Abortion Down in U.S., Mississippi, But Why?
The abortion rate in Mississippi and across the U.S. is down, a new AP report released today shows. The question of why, however, is subject to wide and fierce debate.
Planned Parenthood Saved My Life
As Congress debates whether or not Planned Parenthood should continue receiving funding for providing health care to women, do me a favor and think of that young woman who may be able to live a healthy life because the organization was there in her hour of need.
The Rough Road to Reproductive Health Care
Regardless of the state's appeal of the JWHO case, the fight for reproductive health in Mississippi will continue in the Mississippi Legislature.
Planned Parenthood Bill Would Limit Cancer and STI Screening, Birth Control
Medicaid recipients seeking birth control, STI testing or cancer screenings at the state's only Planned Parenthood clinic might get cut off if a Senate bill, which passed yesterday and then was held on a motion to reconsider, becomes law.
Using the KKK to Fight Abortion Rights
Groups such as the Ashburn, Va.-based Radiance Foundation have used ads to cast abortion as akin to genocide of African American children. Others are crying foul play.
