Governor Phil Bryant is facing a Monday deadline that would ban abortions after 15 weeks in Mississippi.
The ban would be the earliest of its kind in the country and would make it the Nation’s strictest abortion bill. While speaking about the proposed law, the Governor explained that if science applies to other widely debated topics, it should apply to the subject of conception.
“I’m always encouraged by those who support global warming, and they refer to scientists. Look at the scientists, listen to the scientists. If you listen to them, most of them will tell you that life begins at conception,” Governor Bryant said. “We have a human being 15-weeks-old and people believe that you ought to be able to destroy that life, well we don’t.”
Governor Bryant has expressed his support for the bill on numerous occasions and says that his goal is to make Mississippi the “safest place in America for an unborn child.” With that goal in mind, the Governor went on to say that his sights are set on another goal when it comes to preventing abortions in the state.
“I hope at some point, Mississippi is free of abortion completely, and I hope it’s before I leave office,” he said.
A section of the proposed legislation is dedicated to listing the development of the “unborn person”. It states that the heart begins to beat at 5-6 weeks, all physiological functions are present at 9 weeks, and the section ends with research about the fetus at 12 weeks.
“At twelve (12) weeks’ gestation, an unborn human being can open and close his or her fingers, starts to make sucking motions, and senses stimulation from the world outside the womb. Importantly, he or she has taken on “the human form” in all relevant aspects. Gonzales v. Carhart, 550 U.S. 124, 160 (2007).”
RELATED: 15-week abortion ban heads to Governor’s desk
The law would impose a felony charge for a physician who knowingly performs an abortion after 15 weeks with the exception of a medical emergency that puts the mother’s life at risk.
Language in the law does state that the women getting the abortion “may not be prosecuted for conspiracy to commit any violation of this section.”
