Mississippi Governor Signs Dangerous Abortion Bill
For Immediate Release: April 24, 2014
Planned Parenthood Action Fund Calls for New Leaders Who Support Women’s Health
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a dangerous bill into law that will ban abortion beginning at 20 weeks, despite a January decision from the Supreme Court declining to review a lower court ruling that a similar 2012 Arizona state law is unconstitutional. Similar laws in Georgia and Idaho have also been blocked by the courts.
While nearly 99 percent of abortions in the U.S. occur before 21 weeks, in states that have passed laws like this, some women and their families have been put into heartbreaking situations — needing to end a pregnancy for serious medical reasons but unable to do so. Recent polling shows that when voters understand the real-world circumstances for women, they overwhelmingly oppose laws that would ban the procedure at that stage.
Statement from Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
“The reality is that abortion later in pregnancy is very rare and often happens under heartbreaking and tragic circumstances. That is why time and again, voters and the courts have rejected these cruel and dangerous measures. It’s clear that we need new lawmakers in Mississippi and across the country who value women’s health and safety. That’s why Planned Parenthood Votes and Planned Parenthood Action Fund are working in states across the country to elect new leaders who will protect women’s health and rights—and stop these harmful laws from passing in the first place.”