Mississippi One Step Closer to Criminalizing Abortion

Following the example set by South Dakota last week as reported here and here, on Tuesday, the Mississippi House Public Health Committee passed an anti-abortion bill that would allow abortion only to save a women's life. The bill does not include an exception for rape or incest cases.

The measure came as a surprise. It was accepted in Committee as a substitution amendent to S.B. 2922, which originally required abortion practitioners to allow women considering an abortion to see an ultrasound of their unborn child beforehand. The Mississippi House is expected to vote on the S.B.2992 next week and it would then go to the Senate. The AP is reporting that Mississippi Govenor Haley Barbour is inclined to sign the bill.

Text of S.B. 2922 as Amended Download SB2922_H_Cmte_Amend_01.pdf

SECTION 1.  Section 41-41-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

     41-41-33. * * *  No abortion shall be performed or induced in the State of Mississippi, except in the case of a medical emergency or the presence of a life-threatening condition in the mother that would be worsened by continuing the pregnancy.

* * *

SECTION 2.  Section 41-41-39, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

     41-41-39.  Anyone who purposefully, knowingly or recklessly performs or attempts to perform or induce an abortion in the State of Mississippi, except in the case of a medical emergency or the presence of a life-threatening condition in the mother that would be worsened by continuing the pregnancy, shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of time not to exceed one (1) year, or both such fine and imprisonment.

SECTION 3.  The State of Mississippi shall be responsible for the medical and educational needs of any child born to a citizen of this state if the mother has received family counseling during the gestation period and chose to continue the pregnancy to delivery, and the child will be entitled to these services until the child reaches the age of nineteen (19) and the mother agrees to allow for these services to be provided to the child.

SECTION 4.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2006.

Sample of media coverage:

• Barbour says he'd likely sign bill to ban most abortions in Miss. (AP report)
• Mississippi Becomes Second State to Advance Abortion Ban (LifeNews.com)