The Senate approved Wednesday’s bill by a margin of 33 to 11. It is a bill supporters claim will prevent abortions based on race, gender, or possible physical disabilities. Senator Joey Fillingane (R-Sumrall) stated that the legislation’s purpose is to guarantee that a fetus has the same civil rights and protections as a person. Fillingane stated that they should be afforded the same protection in their wombs. Others claim that the bill’s purpose is to restrict a woman’s right to abortion. Senator Derrick Simmons (D-Greenville) proposed an amendment to the bill that would have removed the language and added language stating that “a woman’s reproductive decision shall be made only by her family, her doctor, and her God.” This amendment was rejected by the Senate. Reproductive rights groups highlight the irony in civil rights and health protections claims driving restrictions on abortion, noting the absence of contraceptive care and sexual education programs, as well as poor outcomes such high infant and maternal mortality rates. The bill would require a physician to ask the woman whether she is having an abortion due to the gender, race, or genetic abnormality of her fetus. The physician would not be allowed to perform the abortion if the woman answered yes. Senator Angela Turner Ford (D-West Point) expressed concern about the fact that the bill required the doctor to “confirm” the reason for abortion. Fillingane stated that the bill requires only the doctor to ask the question, and to complete a form. Medical organizations have repeatedly emphasized that states and medicine should not interfere in women’s reproductive rights. This includes the American College of Obstetrics and Gynology’s official abortion policy, which says that neither providers nor lawmakers should feel that abortion is a choice that limits women’s freedom. ACOG policy states that “the intervention of legislative bodies in medical decision-making was inappropriate, ill advised and dangerous.” This bill was originally introduced in the House. It now returns to that chamber, where it will likely be approved and sent to the Governor. It is most likely that Tate Reeves will sign it into law. This would be the third consecutive year, and the fourth of the last five years in which the Legislature has passed legislation restricting abortion. Federal court rulings have blocked most of these new laws. The so-called “heartbeat” bill, which prohibited abortions after six weeks, was passed by the Legislature last year. In 2018, a bill prohibiting abortions after 15 week was passed. Both of these bills were stopped by federal court rulings. These laws were challenged by supporters of abortion rights, who claimed that the laws placed restrictions on abortions higher than those set by U.S. Supreme Court decisions. The Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks may be the first of its kind to be considered by U.S. Supreme Court. Opponents of abortion hope that the current Supreme Court will limit existing abortion rights. Lynn Fitch was sworn into office as Mississippi’s attorney general in January. The five-week ban was stopped by the 5th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals. She stated to Mississippi Today that she plans to appeal the 15-week-old decision to the Supreme Court. Monday’s statement was that Lynn Fitch had sworn in as Mississippi attorney general. She stated that the petition asked the Court to clarify its jurisprudence regarding abortion so that states like her can enact laws that promote respect for unborn and innocent life. Legal precedent indicates that states have legitimate interests in restricting abortion. However, states cannot prohibit abortions before viability and that they cannot impose an undue burden on women who seek abortion. The viability standard has been rejected by courts in Mississippi. Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks is not acceptable. The state argued that the law does not constitute a ban and should be considered under the “undue weight” standard. The Louisiana admitting privileges law was heard by the Supreme Court earlier this year. It challenged the undue weight standard that was upheld in a Texas case in 2016. This decision will be the court’s first major ruling on abortion and will be closely monitored. The Mississippi Legislature passed a law in 2016 that required doctors who perform abortions to be granted hospital admission privileges. This law was also struck down. However, other bills that were passed in the same year were upheld. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today. The survey takes 1-2 minutes.