Next Front Line in the Abortion Wars: State Supreme Courts
New York TimesDec 29, 2022
The Facts
Mississippi Judge Debbra Halford has rejected a request by the state's only abortion clinic - Jackson Women's Health Organization - to block a "trigger ban" on abortion set to take effect on Thursday.
The clinic argued that the right to abortion is protected under Miss. Supreme Court precedent, but Halford said "The plain wording of the Mississippi Constitution does not mention abortion."
The Spin
Left narrative
Mississippi Republicans try to claim that banning abortion empowers women, and that legislation passed since Roe provides support for them through additional healthcare and workplace maternity leave. But when you look at the facts that simply isn't the case. In a state with higher-than-average maternal death rates and a lack of medical coverage, this law will only devastate minority and low-income women.
Right narrative
Just as the Supreme Court found in its overturning of Roe and Casey, Mississippi's abortion ban clearly doesn't clash with the state's right to privacy. Judge Halford's ruling is an appropriate interpretation of what the Constitution actually says, rather than what pro-abortionists want it to say. Cases like Roe and Casey pit mothers' against their children, which deprives both the support and care they need during pregnancy.