The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to send House Bill 1510, an abortion bill, to Governor. Phil Bryant requested a signature. The bill would prohibit abortion after 15 weeks. It is a precedent-setting ban that would be more restrictive than any other ban in the country by restricting abortion to five weeks. The governor expressed his excitement about signing the bill after it passed the Senate Tuesday. “As I’ve repeatedly stated, I want Mississippi the safest state in America for unborn children. Bryant stated in an email statement that House Bill 1510 would help us reach this goal. Bryant expressed his excitement about signing the bill if the House agrees. Two days later, the House voted 75 to 34 in favor of the bill. It is not clear what the law will look like if it is passed. Currently, there is no country that restricts abortion before 20 weeks of gestation. Therefore, a precedent-setting piece like House Bill 1510 will likely face stiff legal challenges. Diane Derzis is the owner of Jackson Women’s Health Clinic. She stated that her lawyers will likely file legal action as soon the law goes into effect. Derzis’ clinic filed a lawsuit against a 2012 measure to the U.S. Supreme Court. That legislation, which was struck down by the courts, would have required abortion clinics that are freestanding to establish a relationship with local hospitals. Derzis stated that passage of what abortion-rights activists refer to as TRAP (or targeted regulations by a abortion provider) laws places undue economic hardships on lower income women and their families. “These TRAP laws forced women to travel to Jackson twice to get a simple procedure done. She said that they have to stop working and find gas money. It’s difficult if you’re poor, a woman of color, or a member of a family of color. It affects you.” However, several Republican leaders said that the state was just as prepared to defend the bill if it becomes law. After the Senate passed the legislation, Sen. Joey Fillingane (R-Sumrall) stated that he felt strongly about it. Attorney General Jim Hood stated that he fully anticipates that the state would be sued if Governor Scott signs the bill into law. Hood, a Democrat, said that he knows that bans lower than 20 weeks have been overturned. “We expect an urgent and costly legal challenge.” Felicia Brown Williams, from Planned Parenthood Southeast, said Tuesday that HB 1510 would be a template for similar bans in the U.S. Because no fetus under 20 weeks of gestation has survived outside of the womb and despite technological advances, babies born after 22 weeks are very rare, 20 weeks has been set as the national abortion cutoff. Fillingane stated several times Tuesday that medical advancements could make fetal viability possible as soon as 15 weeks. This is a critical point, if true. The landmark Roe v. Wade case ruled that women should have the right to an abortion up until that point. Fillingane didn’t offer any evidence that the technology was even close to reaching this point, but he did not provide any. The bill was passed by the House with a large margin. However, many Democrats shared Derzis’ concerns from the Jackson Women’s Health Clinic. They argued that the bill unfairly targets women already in disadvantage and does not provide any significant benefits. According to a 2010 Human Family Research Center study, women who have an abortion after 16 weeks are more likely to be younger, black, unemployed, and poor. “This bill does not help the mother of the unplanned pregnancy. Rep. Adrienne Wooten (D-Jackson) stated that she is not funding social programs that will assist her. “What will this body do with these children? Wooten posed the question: “Is this body going take this baby into its own home?” Two amendments were introduced by Sen. Deborah Dixon (D-Pass Christian) that would have allowed free child care for pregnant women and provided health care for those who cannot receive abortions after 15 week. However, they failed to make it to the Senate for a vote as Senate counsel declared them not relevant to the bill. Andy Gipson (R-Braxton), has maintained that the bill was necessary to protect the health and safety of the woman who is having the abortion. Gipson used statistics from the Guttmacher Institute to support his argument. This group advocates for women’s rights to abortion and argues that after 18 weeks, the risks to the mother’s health are significantly increased. The institute estimates that the risk of death increases from 0.3 deaths for every 100,000 abortions performed prior to eight weeks to 6.7 deaths for every 100,000 abortions performed after eight weeks. However, Democrats were adamant that the state should not be allowed to make these decisions. Democrats pointed out that the bill does not include an exception for victims of rape and incest. House Bill 1510 does not allow for abortions after 15 weeks, as it does in current state law. This exception is only available if the mother’s life or health is in danger or if there are severe fetal abnormalities. This is up to the woman’s healthcare provider to decide what it means. Rep. John Hines (D-Greenville), who is a rape counselor, said that victims of rape and incest often have a harder time coming to terms with their pregnancies than women who are able to consent to it. Hines stated that a large number of raped women don’t speak out until many years later. Gipson countered that the life of the foetus is priority at 15 weeks, which he has done several times before. Gipson stated, “But at fifteen weeks, you have someone inside the womb who’s moving and breathing.” Contributing: R.L. Contributing: R.L.