As states across the country continue to pass legislation banning abortion, some Mississippians are reacting to what this could mean for the future of Roe v. Wade. MPB's Jasmine Ellis reports.
Mississippi's new abortion law, known as The Heartbeat Law, goes into effect July 1. It makes abortion illegal in the state once a fetal heartbeat is detected which is about six weeks. Several other states have passed so called heartbeat bills including Ohio, Georgia, and Kentucky. And Alabama's governor just signed what is considered the most restrictive abortion law in the country that bans nearly all abortions. Scott Fischbach is vice president of Mississippi Right to Life
"We would be pleased if they went back to a situation where the unborn child was recognized in law as having a right to life," said Fischbach. "And that right to life would be respected by the state courts as well the federal courts. That would be where we ultimately want to get to."
While Mississippi's restrictive abortion law is set to take effect July 1, it's currently being challenged in federal court.
Derenda Hancock is a volunteer at the Jackson Women's Health Organization. She says the new restrictive abortion laws are chipping away at women's rights.
"We are in the process of becoming Gilead," said Hancock. "If you haven't read 'The Handmaid's Tale' you need to read 'The Handmaid's Tale.' We're going back to the day when women are meant for nothing but incubation. In 'The Handmaid's Tale' women who are of reproductive age are simply used to reproduce. Once they're past that age they're of no use anymore... they're discarded. And that's where we’re headed. And everybody better understand it's getting there quickly."
Anti-abortion rights supporters say their ultimate goal is to make the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade making abortions unconstitutional.
