On Monday, Phil Bryant, the Governor of Mississippi signed an abortion bill into law. The bill could shutter the only abortion clinic that operates in the state. The Governor hailed the law as one that will guarantee that the lives of the unborn and born are protected throughout Mississippi.
The bill passed the state Senate earlier in April and requires that all abortion clinic physicians in the state be board-certified OB-GYN and have admitting privileges at a hospital near the clinic.
The state’s only abortion clinic is Jackson Women’s Health Organization located in the state’s capital of Jackson. The clinic’s owner has said previously that two of its three doctors do not have the required hospital admitting privileges the law calls for. Diane Derzis, said once the bill was signed into law, she may have to close her clinic.
The new legislation is only one of a number of measures put into place by states across the country that aim to scale back abortion clinic access. In Virginia, a law was signed by Governor Bob McDonnell that requires an ultrasound be performed before a woman can opt for an abortion.
The new law in Mississippi was quickly condemned by Planned Parenthood through a statement that read, “Without a doubt, this law is only based on political agendas, not medical needs.”
