JACKSON, Miss. – Governor Phil Bryant and the attorney general’s office will decide whether or not to challenge the Fifth US Circuit Courts ruling that is keeping the state’s last abortion clinic from shutting down. The court upheld an injunction, blocking a state law that required physicians that perform abortions at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization to have admitting privileges to hospitals, which they were unable to obtain.
State attorneys argued that women with unwanted pregnancies could still travel to other states, but the Fifth Circuit panel upheld the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which established a constitutional right to abortion for all citizens and that the state could not shift its obligation to other states.
In response Bryant issues this following statement:
“I am disappointed that two judges concluded that HB 1390 is unconstitutional. This measure is designed to protect the health and safety of women who undergo this potentially dangerous procedure, and physicians who provide abortions should be held to the same standards as physicians who perform other outpatient procedures.
“It is important to note that today’s opinion was issued by a divided panel of judges and not by the entire Fifth Circuit and that this action is just another part of the legal process. I will continue working with the Attorney General as his office petitions the entire court to hear this case.”
