A Mississippi bill that would ban abortion after 15 weeks except in medical emergencies is making it's way to the Senate.
According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 2300 abortions were performed in Mississippi in 2014. Some were provided for women who live out of state. Opponents of abortion want to reduce that number. Currently abortions are banned in Mississippi after 20 weeks. But a bill that has passed the House would ban abortions after 15 weeks. The exceptions: medical emergencies and a severely abnormal fetuses. House Democrat Kathy Sykes of Jackson is a single parent. She's opposed to the measure.
"The length of time is crucial when you're making a decision about your healthcare needs because it takes so long for you to know whether or not for certain that you are expecting," said Sykes.
House Republican Tracy Arnold of Booneville co-authored HB 1510. He's opposed to abortion. Arnold supports providing more education to prevent unwanted pregnancies and making more options available to Mississippians.
"The children that are aborted in that five week spectrum could actually be a lot of children. Contraceptives and birth controls pills and that kind of thing is what we need to utilize for people who don't want to have children until later in their lives instead of abortion," said Arnold.
Sykes says many men in leadership positions in the legislature are opposed to abortion. However, she says some women in the legislature she's talked to believe women should have the right to choose. In a statement, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves says he's worked to make Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child.
