Mississippi abortion law struck down

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Saturday said he would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the state’s law protecting unborn babies after 15 weeks of gestation. A federal appeals court on Friday ruled the law unconstitutional.

How does the ruling affect abortion in Mississippi? The state has never enforced the law since its only abortion facility sued immediately after Bryant, a Republican, signed it. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves’ decision against the protections in 2018 also shut down a similar law in Louisiana, which included a clause that it would only take effect if the courts upheld Mississippi’s protections for unborn babies.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report in Vitals on another abortion law in Louisiana still pending before the Supreme Court.