Entry
Legislature Quiet on Immigration, Abortion
By R.L. NaveThe legislative session has not been without drama. But with the deadline to introduce general bills passing earlier this week, it seems like there have been relatively few bills related to traditional red-meat issues.
Only one bill title mentions abortion and it was put forth by Rep. Nick Bain, D-Corinth. Bain's bill, HB 513, says that "any discussion of abortion must be presented from the medical perspective of the potential long-term and short-term hazards presented to patients as the result of having the procedure performed."
Sen. Michael Watson, a R-Pascagoula, has a bill that would make it a felony if exposing a fetus or a child to a controlled substance or chemical substance causes serious physical injury to the child or fetus. Watson's bill carves out exceptions for legally administered prescription drugs.
Attempts at regulating immigration are also non-existent thus far. Besides a bill from Rep. Reecy Dickson, D-Macon, that authorizes a task force to study the role of immigrant communities in alleviating poverty, we haven't seen renewed attempts to impose strict show-your-papers kinds of immigration bills (at least not yet).
That said, there are a handful of gun bills.
U.S. Senate hopeful Chris McDaniel would prohibit state cooperation with any federal effort to ban firearms. Rep. Mark Formby, R-Picayune, has a similar bill in the House. Another proposal, from Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, makes certain exceptions to concealed-carry permits for gun and ammo-related companies.
Story
State Victories Create Dilemma for Abortion Foes
Opponents who have chipped away at abortion with state-level restrictions are facing a dilemma in some of the places where they have been most successful: Do they continue with that …
Story
House Ready to OK Government-Wide $1.1T Budget
Shunning the turmoil of recent budget clashes, Congress is ready to approve a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill for this year, a compromise financing everything from airports to war costs …
Story
Dozens of Trade-Offs in $1.1 Trillion Budget Bill
A massive $1.1 trillion spending bill, aimed at funding the government through October and putting to rest the bitter budget battles of last year, is getting generally positive reviews from …
Story
Health Care
Amid Abortion Debate, the Pursuit of Science
For the last decade or so, Tracy Weitz has been one of the most prominent abortion researchers in the United States.
Story
City & County
The Influencers
Lobbyists remain one of the most formidable forces in Congress and under capitol domes around the nation. Lobbying, which the U.S. Constitution protects as a form of free speech, has …
Story
Lawmakers Put Finishing Touches on Spending Bill
Negotiators trying to put the finishing touches on a $1.1 trillion spending bill reported Tuesday that they have made major progress in recent days in advance of a meeting of …
Story
Police: No Signs of Foul Play in Abortion Doctor's Death
Authorities say Dr. Joseph Booker Jr., who was once the only abortion practitioner in Mississippi, has been found dead at his home in Madison.
Story
China to Ease 1-Child Policy, Abolish Labor Camps
China will loosen family planning rules that limit many couples to a single child in the first substantial change to the unpopular policy in nearly three decades, as leaders seek …
Story
City & County
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
Story
High Court Could Soon Take Up New Abortion Case
The Supreme Court on Monday declined for now to jump back into the long-running legal fight over abortion, but a flood of new state restrictions has increased the chances that …
Story
City & County
Controversy Roils Around Abortion Clinic
Preacher Flip Benham and his band of anti-abortion protesters from Operation Rescue America descended on Jackson Monday, two days after a pro-abortion rights rally at Jackson Women's Health Organization, or …
Photo
Story
Cover
The Most Under-reported Stories in the U.S. and Mississippi
This year's annual Project Censored list of the most under-reported news stories includes the widening wealth gap, the trial of Pfc. Bradley Manning, and President Obama's war on whistleblowers—all stories …
Story
Chris Christie Gay Marriage Move Stirs GOP
Gov. Chris Christie's decision to stop fighting gay marriage in New Jersey was pragmatic—same sex weddings had already begun and a court warned that the state would have little chance …
Story
Politics
Southern Dems to Seize on Chaos
Democrats are taking the advice of one of their own, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, and not letting the recent debt-ceiling crisis go to waste.
Story
Miss. Gov Says Christianity Shapes His World View
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant told a group of students Thursday that Christianity shapes his world view and he's not apologetic about opposing abortion or putting Nativity scenes on public property.
Story
Indian Court Convicts 4 in Fatal Gang Rape Case
An Indian court convicted four men Tuesday in the deadly gang rape of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus, a brutal crime that galvanized public anger over …
Story
Politics
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Never Seen'
Attorney Gipson could use a refresher course on the law, it seems.
Story
Health Care
New Study Suggests 'Universal Fetal Exposure' to BPA
All samples of umbilical cord blood obtained from pregnant women in California had detectable levels of bisphenol A, suggesting "universal fetal exposure," according to newly published research.
