Erica Hensley is the editor of Mississippi Today’s Inform[H]er newsletter. She recently sat down to chat with McGee about these issues. Can you tell us about specific bills that you have worked on that would benefit Mississippi families. Infertility coverage would be added to insurance companies’ coverage. This bill was passed by me in 2018. My lifetime maximum is $25,000. Infertility treatment is not covered by insurance companies. This is something I know from personal experience. However, it is incredible how many people it affects. (Editor’s Note: A study suggests that about 10% of couples suffer from infertility. IVF is used in approximately one in 65 births. This bill was dropped many years ago before I reached it. I am now the new girl. I also have two IVF kids, so it seemed perfect that there was a female legislator who had gone through this experience. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support. However, it was defeated in the Senate. After I had dropped the bill this year, we received word from the insurance industry saying that they would try to cover it voluntarily without any legislative requirements. They have the remainder of the year to make it happen. Many women infertile in the state reached out to me via email. It broke my heart that the bill was killed. I believe there is finally hope for these women…. Insurance covers many other things, but it doesn’t cover this. How do you approach being the new girl and navigate the halls as the only woman in the state’s legislature? This was a huge leap of faith, as it was something that I had never considered. My eighth predecessor, Evelyn Gandy was elected lieutenant governor. It was a very significant moment for me that she was elected to my seat in 1947. It was only two women who were present in the House at that time — can you just imagine? This is something I think about often. What must it have been like to run for office in 1970 when it was not possible? I am the first woman to fill her seat. If she were still alive, I’d love to have the opportunity to ask her about the fact there are only 15 female members of the House out of 122. I don’t like to be different. I don’t want to be seen as a mere legislator. People have told me that I could be a strong female legislator. I don’t want this to happen. I don’t want to be a strong legislator, but a leader. I do not want to be a woman’s leader. First and foremost, I want to lead my district. Then, I want to become a member in good standing of the Mississippi Legislature to make Mississippi move forward. This is a great way to link into your most recent public example — your vote for the abortion bill. What was the response to that decision? We passed the 2018 15-week abortion bill. I voted for it. As you all know, that bill is still being considered by the courts. As you know, the bill is still in the courts. To have no exceptions for incest or rape, or to allow enough time to determine if there is severe fetal abnormality. That means there is no happy ending. There is no baby to bring home at the end. I would not put my baby up for adoption if that were allowed. What do Mississippi need right now? We need to talk more about what we have already discussed. We need bills that show that we are a positive place, that we value diversity, that celebrate financial issues, and that we support young people getting good-paying jobs. We want a high quality of life, a positive environment and a place that allows you to create your own life. Mississippi is that. We just have to show young Mississippians that they can make it a successful life. I will do my best to maintain the momentum in Hattiesburg. I’ve learned a lot, and still have much to learn. I want to make the state a better place for my hometown and for all of the people in it. I believe we get a bad reputation nationally. I want to change that. It’s a great place with a complex history. It will always be our history, and we hope that we have moved on from some of it. We have obviously moved on from some of those. We still hold onto symbols from the past and some things that we did. We can’t let go of our own ways._x000D