Mississippi governor signs bill banning abortions based on sex, race, or disability

UPDATE, 7/2/20: Governor Tate Reeves has signed the Life Equality Act into law. The Susan B. Anthony List’s state policy director Sue Liebel stated in a press release, “such lethal discrimination, whether inside or outside the womb, should be unacceptable anywhere in our society,” adding thanks to “Governor Reeves for his strong pro-life leadership in signing this bill swiftly into law, as well as the bill’s author Rep. Carolyn Crawford, House Speaker Philip Gunn, and Rep. Nick Bain, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Brice Wiggins, Sen. Jenifer Branning, Sen. Jeremy England, Sen. Joey Fillingane, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann for their tireless efforts to get it across the finish line.”

UPDATE, 6/23/20: According to the Susan B. Anthony List, the bill is now headed to the desk of Governor Tate Reeves, who is expected to sign it into law.

6/18/20: The Mississippi Senate has advanced a bill that will ban discriminatory abortions. The Life Equality Act, sponsored by Mississippi State Senator Jenifer Branning and endorsed by Chairman Brice Wiggins, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, and others, would ban abortions based on “a child’s race, sex, disability, or genetic makeup,” according to the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List). The bill passed by a vote of 33-11. The Life Equality Act passed the Mississippi House in March, but following the Senate’s recent passage, the House and Senate bill amendments must concur and will then head to Governor Tate Reeves for his signature.

In a press release, SBA List State Policy Director Sue Liebel stated, “We are pleased to see the Life Equality Act advance one step closer to becoming law, thanks to the strong leadership of our pro-life allies in the Mississippi legislature… Mississippi is a solidly pro-life state that understands abortions carried out because of a baby’s sex, race, or potential disability, such as Down syndrome, is no less than modern-day eugenics. Mississippians agree unborn children should be protected from this lethal discrimination.”

Discrimination against the preborn occurs globally, especially against females in societies where women have been treated as “less than” for centuries—and even today. Race discrimination is also common. While Black Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population, Black women account for 38% of reported abortions.

Sex-Selective Abortion: Part 1 - Undercover in Texas

READ: ‘Lethal discrimination’: Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vetoes Down syndrome abortion ban

For those with disabilities and other genetic abnormalities, abortion is all too often considered the “compassionate choice,” with killing portrayed as a means to spare the child a lifetime of suffering, and the parents a lifetime of burden. Contrary to this misguided view of life and its value, countless mothers of children with Down Syndrome and other physical and mental disabilities report that their lives are better because of the children they chose to keep.

Every life is valuable, no matter the circumstances of conception, race, sex, or genetic makeup. More states and even other countries have begun to pass laws similar to Mississippi’s bill. This is good news, yet there still remains a great amount of work to be done to protect every child in the womb.

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