Mississippi politicians, advocates react to SCOTUS abortion decision

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
June 24, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that established a person's right to an abortion. Mississippi will likely be one of 13 states to ban the abortion procedure immediately due to a trigger law passed by legislators in 2007.

Mississippi Today is compiling a list of statements from politicians, advocates and others:

Attorney General Lynn Fitch

Gov. Tate Reeves

U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo

Speaker of the House Philip Gunn

State Auditor Shad White

SHERO MS

In a phone interview with Mississippi Today, Colón vowed to defy the ruling and continue working to provide abortion access for Mississippians.

“What I will be doing is what I have been doing, and that is focusing all of my attention and all of my efforts and all of my resources on making sure that Mississippians can access the abortion health care that they need and deserve… If they want to go a clinic, I'm going to help them. If they want to self manage their abortion, I'm going to help them do that as well.”

ACLU of Mississippi

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker

“This is a momentous day for our nation, and Mississippi led the charge. This decision is an answered prayer, marking the beginning of the next chapter in our fight to protect the unborn,” said Wicker. “The Court's ruling confirms what many legal experts have known for decades – that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and the power to set abortion policy should rest with the people and their elected representatives.”

Converge Access, the non-profit administrator of federal family planning funds in Mississippi

Statement from co-founders Jamie Bardwell and Danielle Lampton

“We believe every person deserves access to the full range of reproductive health services, including abortion. The Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will lead to devastating impacts across Mississippi, particularly for people who are low-income and uninsured and unable to travel hundreds of miles for health care. Today, we grieve for our neighbors in Mississippi and across the South.

Mississippi is one of only 12 states that still hasn't expanded Medicaid coverage for eligible low-income people. This failure exacerbates health disparities that primarily harm Black Mississippians. Even more incredulous is the state's refusal to extend Medicaid coverage for 12 months after a baby is born, cutting off coverage at 60 days postpartum. While policymakers claim they care for the health and well-being of children and families, their actions demonstrate otherwise. In a state where Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than White women, a lack of expanded postpartum care is a direct attack on families.

The Dobbs decision will increase the demand for contraception in Mississippi. As the Title X grantee in Mississippi, Converge remains dedicated to supporting clinics in our network so they can provide access to the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives as well as emergency contraception and other necessary preventive care. Federal law has long prohibited the use of Title X funds for abortion care.”

Rep. Zakiya Summers

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.