In a state with only one clinic, Mississippi approves the most restrictive abortion ban in the U.S.
Mississippi lawmakers on Thursday passed what may be the most restrictive abortion law in the nation — a bill that prohibits women from obtaining an abortion more than 15 weeks after their last menstrual cycle.
As women around the world staged protests and walkouts in support of International Women's Day, the state's staunchly Republican House voted 75 to 34 in favor of the Gestational Age Act, after the Senate passed the measure on Tuesday.
Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, a vocal foe of abortion, has indicated that he will sign the bill into law.
"As I have repeatedly said, I want Mississippi to be the safest place in America for an unborn child," he tweeted Tuesday when the measure passed in the Senate. "House Bill 1510 will help us achieve that goal."
No other state restricts abortions as early as 15 weeks. Mississippi's current abortion law — which bans most abortions at 20 weeks — is already one of the most restrictive in the nation.