On Thursday, the Mississippi legislature passed a law, HB 1510, that would ban abortion after 15 weeks—what could be the earliest gestation ban.
In response, Physicians for Reproductive Health Board Chair Dr. Willie Parker issued the following statement:
“HB 1510 is not only unconstitutional, but it denies necessary health care to patients, while shaming them and endangering their lives.
“The South, my home, has become one of the centers of the abortion access crisis. The ability of Southern women to make personal health care decisions has been eroded, one medically unnecessary restriction at a time. There are only a few clinics left to serve patients who need abortion care even as we speak, and with HB 1510 targeting the lone remaining clinic in Mississippi, a scarce health service will become even more so.
With HB 1510 targeting the lone remaining clinic in Mississippi, a scarce health service will become even more so.
“If HB 1510 were to go into effect, women like Stacey, a patient I saw from the Mississippi Delta region, would lose their right to access safe, legal abortion care. Stacey came to the clinic at 14 weeks gestation with a pregnancy that she could not continue, and she needed two weeks to raise the money for her abortion care. To deny care to patients like Stacey is simply wrong.
“Patients in Mississippi need more access to care. Politicians must stop trying to deny women their right to live a life with dignity and self-determination. I urge the governor to veto this bill for the health and well-being of Mississippians.”