Abortion

Mississippi Governor Signs Bill Outlawing Common Abortion Procedure

"Governor Bryant just signed a clear attack on women's health care as part of a plan to ban abortion across the board,” said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

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Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R), who has said that it is his goal to “end abortion” in the state, signed a bill Friday that criminalizes a medical procedure often used after miscarriages and during second-trimester abortion care.

“We’re making Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child,” Bryant said in a post on Twitter.

HB 519, sponsored by Rep. Sam Mims (R-McComb), would prohibit a physician from performing the dilation and evacuation (D and E) abortion procedure unless it is necessary to “prevent serious health risk” to the pregnant person.

Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that the law is not based on medicine.

“Governor Bryant just signed a clear attack on women’s health care as part of a plan to ban abortion across the board,” Laguens said. “Planned Parenthood will continue to fight to protect the rights of our patients and their access to safe medical care, no matter what.”

Similar bills have been introduced this year in several states. The bills are copies of legislation drafted by the anti-choice group known as the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).

State courts have blocked such measures passed by GOP lawmakers in Oklahoma and Kansas. West Virginia’s Republican-led legislature in March voted to override the veto of a similar bill.

The law takes effect on July 1.

CORRECTION:​ A previous version of this story stated that “federal courts” have blocked D and E bans in Oklahoma and Kansas, but only state courts have blocked such measures. We regret the error.