NARAL Condemns Mississippi Abortion Ban

After Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed H.B. 1510, an abortion ban that shows the extent to which anti-choice politicians will go to ban abortion in the state, NARAL Pro-Choice America National Communications Director Kaylie Hanson Long issued the following statement:

“There is no doubt that this unconstitutional abortion ban will harm Mississippi women and families. The ban is clearly an attempt to effectively bring the state one step closer to outlawing abortion entirely. We know that when abortion access is restricted so severely, the number of abortions does not go down—the number of deaths and injuries to women goes up. Governor Bryant should be ashamed of himself.”

Background:

H.B. 1510 is part of a growing national trend that is immensely concerning. It is similar to unconstitutional abortion bans introduced in the U.S. Congress last year, including a bill to ban abortion at six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.

The Supreme Court made very clear in Roe v. Wade that bans before viability violate a woman’s right to privacy. It established a constitutional right to an abortion.

Similar unconstitutional abortion bans have been struck down by the courts. In North Dakota, the courts ruled that a similar abortion ban was unconstitutional, citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent. Courts also ruled an Arkansas law to be unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear either case when defendants asked the court for additional review.