The Supreme Court issued a shameful ruling today overturning Roe v. Wade — the landmark decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion nearly 50 years ago.
While abortion is still legal today in Mississippi, politicians have passed a “trigger law.” The law was enacted in 2007 and is designed to ban nearly all abortions. It bans abortion in the state apart from cases of rape and threat to the woman’s life, which will “go into effect 10 days after the Attorney General certifies the decision issued by the Supreme Court,” ACLU said.
This Mississippi law would penalize anyone performing or attempting to perform an abortion with a felony offense. A woman can face up to 10 years in prison for the act.
In addition, the ruling in the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, could set off a chain reaction.
“The decision is an unprecedented attack on women’s rights and reproductive freedom,” ACLU said.
Around half the states in the country are expected to ban abortion, which would deny women the opportunity to exercise the practice.
“After today’s decision, Mississippi politicians are getting ready to turn back the clock nearly 50 years on our fundamental rights and force women and everyone who can become pregnant into a second-class status, putting Mississippi on the wrong side of history, once again, " said Jarvis Dortch, executive director at ACLU of Mississippi.
“Make no mistake: Politicians won’t stop here. The same anti-abortion extremists seeking to control our bodies are coming for our right to access birth control and gender-affirming care, marry who we love, and vote. The path to taking back our rights is long, but the ACLU will be there every step of the way until we all have the power to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families,” said Vara Lyons, policy counsel at ACLU of Mississippi.