Mississippi's governor says he wants the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the state's petition to make a 15-week Abortion ban legal. That after a federal appeals court ruled the law is unconstitutional. MPB's Kobee Vance reports.
Governor Phil Bryant signed a bill in 2018 banning abortion after 15 weeks. But a federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional and blocked it from taking effect. The state appealed the decision to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Friday, the court agreed with the federal judge's ruling based on the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which makes abortion legal.
Diane Derzis owns the Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only abortion clinic in the state. She says the law was designed to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
"They hope they will get up before this court which is now poised to overturn Roe. We see other things that are very similar to this bill, but they are just throwing anything and everything they can at the Supreme Court hoping that they will take the worst thing." said Derzis.
Republican Senator Joey Fillingane of Sumrall wants to give the newly conservative high court a chance to reconsider old decisions.
"We want the supreme court to have opportunity to review their supreme court presidents, and be able to with a newly composed supreme court take a new fresh look at that and see if that doesn't just need to be adjusted somewhat." said Fillingane.
This year Mississippi passed a law which bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected which can be as early as six weeks. That law has also been struck down by a federal judge and is being appealed. Bryant wrote on Twitter that he'll continue to fight for America’s unborn children by taking this mission to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kobee Vance, MPB News
