Abortion Ban Killed in Mississippi

[Maddy McCall]

:woohoo: !!!

Abortion Ban Killed in Mississippi

Late last night the proposed Mississippi abortion ban was killed when the Republican Chair of the Senate's Public Health and Welfare committee, Alan Nunnelee refused to sign the House bill. The House chair Democrat Steve Holland called Nunnelee's bluff by essentially agreeing to all provisions of the ban. Holland told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger "we brought them a ban on abortion." Nunnelee said the bill was so complicated tat it would require lawyers to review it. "It's a very complex conference report, and I can't make a judgement on that," said Nunnelee. The end result is that the abortion ban is dead this legislative session in the Mississippi.

"For the past two weeks the legislative galleries have been filled with abortion rights supporters. During this time we outnumbered the prolifers 4-1," said Susan Hill, president of the National Women's Health Organization, which runs the Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi. This outcome show the right to life movement is quite divided in what to do about abortion bans. The National Right to Life Committee has indicated such bans are premature, and the White House appears not to want more bans in this election year.

Feminist Majority Foundation
______________________________________________________________

Mississippi Abortion Bill Perishes

snip/

The lawmakers were trying to reach common ground on a House-passed bill that would ban abortions in the state except when a woman’s life is at risk or she is the victim of rape or incest.

House Public Health Committee Chairman Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, presented the Senate negotiators with the latest House proposal about 10 minutes before the deadline.

The House plan said that the proposed ban would not take effect until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that made abortions legal in the nation.

“This is a pure ban on abortion. You shouldn’t have any questions about it,” Holland said.

The Senate had requested the negotiations to try to put language in the bill that would protect the state’s current informed consent law if the new legislation was ever challenged in court.

Senators also wanted to include a provision requiring doctors to perform an ultrasound before an abortion. But Senate Public Health Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, said the Senate was willing to drop the ultrasound language because House negotiators opposed it.

Enterprise Journal

_____________________________________________________

ACLU Applauds Defeat of Abortion Ban in Mississippi

(Press Release reprinted in whole with ACLU permission)

JACKSON, MS -- The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the defeat of a dangerous and extreme abortion ban late last night in the Mississippi legislature.

“This extreme abortion ban would have threatened the health and lives of women across this state,” said Nsombi Lambright, Executive Director of the ACLU of Mississippi. “This is a great victory for the women of Mississippi and speaks to an active and growing pro-choice voice in the state that is fighting to ensure that all women can access the reproductive health care they need.”

The ban, which Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said he would have signed into law had it passed, came only weeks after a similar abortion ban became law in South Dakota. Last week, advocates for women’s health in South Dakota launched a grassroots campaign to repeal that measure at the polls in November.

“History has shown us that when women are denied access to abortion they may resort to desperate measures,” said Louise Melling, Director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “The women of Mississippi would be better served if the legislature would focus on commonsense solutions aimed at reducing unintended pregnancy such as funding medically accurate sex education and ensuring access to birth control, including emergency contraception.”

The bill, which failed to pass last night after Senate and House negotiators were unable to reach an agreement, would have outlawed abortion in Mississippi, a state that is already failing when it comes to protecting access to reproductive health care. Ninety-eight percent of counties in the state are without an abortion provider, and in a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute, Mississippi ranked 30th in the nation in its efforts to help women avoid unintended pregnancy.

Similar bans on abortion are still pending in eight states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

For more information on the ACLU’s work to protect reproductive freedom visit: www.aclu.org/reproductiverights/index.html

For more information about the South Dakota ban visit: www.sdhealthyfamilies.org

ACLU

[BOSSHOG]

1. Now ain't we just a hotbed of Liberalism.

I truly believe that the conservatives in the house were afraid that the measure would not contain an ample amount of hate so they'd rather let it die then pass diluted. Aint' they just the bomb?

Still only one clinic in the whole frigging state.

[Maddy McCall]

3. Steve Holland fought like hell for the women of our state.

He receives major kudos from me.

:hi: BOSSHOG.

[NashVegas]

18. Brass Balls (Pardon the Expression)

Most of us would have been too afraid of actually losing abortion rights to play Holland's gambit. We need more like that.

On edit: OOOH! I just backtracked in Google news. Apparently the bill also contained language challenging Right to Lifers to put their money where their mouths are: guaranteed medical coverage for anyone with an unwanted pregnancy, who came in for counseling.

Bwa-ha-ha!

[fearnobush]

31. Repubs need R -v- W. Why?

Because every 9 out of 10 pro-choice voters would show up on election day and vote these fuckers out. Not even Diebold could fix it for them with such energized numbers voting against them. Also, the GOP is afraid to overturn R -v- W because riders like this - "guaranteed medical coverage for anyone with an unwanted pregnancy," will be voted down and the true nature of the 'Pro-birth And Not One Second After' so called lifers will kill any measure to ban abortion. Why? because it's much cheaper to keep it legal plus there power based is rooted in the 'Pro-birth And Not One Second After' voters. By exposing the fact that Republicans have dope feened there 'Pro-birth And Not One Second After' as well as there true pro-life voters, they will become disillusioned and not show up at the polls. Without these Pro-birth voters, the GOP base will fade and become overwhelmed by the until now, quiet Pro-choice voter.

My point - Moderate and so called Fiscal Republicans will never overturn R -v- W. There political lives depend on it. This why they are quick to duck and run away from discussions about South Dakota's ban. It's there political suicide and they know it.

[lakercub]

32. another reason

Republicans need abortion to be legal so they can fire up their religious right base every election. Whenever some minor abortion provision is put on a ballot, churches will bus people to the polls. The republicans have to have that or they die tomorrow. The religious right will always be the religious right, but it is hard to work up the church crowd when abortion and gay marriage aren't on the ballot. They just aren't as interested.

The religious right is the most duped group of people in the country. They think that voting republican will end abortion, when, in truth, republicans have just as many reasons to want it legal as democrats. They are dead and buried without the abortion "rallying cry." I'm convinced that is why Bush nominated Miers to the Supreme Court. There was a lot of speculation that she would be anti-choice, but I actually don't think so. I think Bush was trying to make sure he could fly someone in under the radar who would actually keep abortion legal. Up until that point the congressional republicans let him do whatever he wanted. I think he was banking on that again. He was willing to risk the judicial "black mark" that his father and Reagan had with their base when they appointed Souter and O'Conner. That black mark isn't much of a setback, and it keeps the republicans going for the next few years. What do the republicans have otherwise? Fiscal responsibility? It hurt just typing that.

[MemphisTiger]

5. They took a while to go red in the last election

which was surprising since they went for Dole in 1996

[Warpy]

7. Well, there was also the fact that they wouldn't be the first

and that the antichoicers feel quite confidently that the SD ban will be upheld by the Scalito court and that it's only a matter of time.

I understand they've also passed restrictions on that one clinic that would make it impossible for them to stay open.

[Maddy McCall]

9. What you don't understand is that it's a very dedicated group....

of feminists from all over the United States are working their asses off to keep the clinic open and functioning. As of today, it's open and functioning. It will not close.

Yes, there are regulations. Yes, they suck. But women still have choice in Mississippi today.

For that, I'm celebrating with my feminist friends who have put so much effort into preserving choice in Mississippi.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

2. I am really surprised.

See...it isn't all downhill.

[baby_mouse]

34. I'm *not* entirely surprised, ma'am.

Sooner or later the little pub sporters are going to realise that the Pubic party is never ever *actually* going to overturn Roe vs Wade. All they're going to do is talk and talk and talk about doing it so they can get votes. Then whine about red tape and obstructionism whenever an opportunity to do something about it rears it's ugly, retarded little head.

[pitohui]

4. whoo hoo!

virtual drinks on me

p.s. give it a recommend, folks, get this good news in front of more people, we get enough negativity

[Maddy McCall]

6. I'll take one of those drinks....

and I'll propose a toast to the DUers who emailed the five Mississippi representatives who refused to compromise in committee. They are the negotiators who refused to yield and this toast goes out to them, too!

:toast: :toast: :beer:

[superconnected]

8. Good news :)

This stays them off longer.

Now if a few choice people would choke on a peanut.

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. Don't you mean..

now if a few ANTI-choice people would choke on a peanut?

;-)

[superconnected]

38. Yes, a few ANTI-choice people should choke on a peanut.

Especially gw bush.

going back and reading that, I couldn't believe how it came out.


:crazy:

[rocktivity]

10. CUE THE VONAGE THEME, YOU ALL!

:woohoo:

M-I-S
S-I-S
S-I-P-P-I!
It used to be so hard to spell
It almost made he cry
But since I've studied spelling
It's easier than pie, so
M-I-S
S-I-S
S-I-P-P-I!

:headbang:
rocknation

[NVMojo]

11. wooo-hooo is right! Thanks for posting!!! Made my day!

[DanCa]

12. Some good news

Thanks for posting this :thumbsup:

[LisaLynne]

13. Awesome!

K&R!

[rodeodance]

14. dead (for now)

[Zhade]

15. WOW!

Congrats, and thanks to all the wonderful people who helped kill the bill that would kill women's liberty!

:yourock: :woohoo:

[0007]

16. Only straight up & down fucks are legal in Mississippi...

if you're married.

Now abortion are also....whooopeee!

[megatherium]

17. It was a hypocritical bill anyway: it allowed exceptions for rape

and incest. I thought the only reason to ban abortion is because killing an unborn child is murder. If that's really the case, why allow murdering the unborn child if it's the product of rape? Don't bastards deserve to live as much as the rest of us?

Anyway, I'm glad to hear Mississippi rejected the bill. I used to live down there, the conservative religious climate was suffocating.

[dbt]

19. Props to Mississippi from your Arkie cousins!

:patriot:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[Sgent]

20. Why we should embrace DINO's

at least in some states.

Steve Holland and Travis Little would be ridiculed by many here (and I think Steve's a f-up, but has good intentions).

If it weren't for "DINO's" like Holland, Little, and the majority of other D's who control the state house of reps, the abortion ban would have passed.

Even if it had passed, the bill (likely to be struck down), would have written into law a gaurentee of the right to healthcare and education for all children in the state -- something that Holland required before it being voted on the first time by the House.

Steve represents one of the reddest areas in the entire country. Lee / Itawamba Co's are the reddest area of a hugely red state.

[file83]

21. Shouldn't that headline read: "Abortion Ban Aborted in Mississippi"

:rofl:

[uppityperson]

22. thanks for the good news Maddy

[Megahurtz]

23. HAA - Ha!...HAA - Ha!....HAA - Ha!!!

:bounce::woohoo::bounce:

[bliss_eternal]

24. Hallelujah!

:applause:

[Canuckistanian]

25. This isolates South Dakota

They're all alone now.

Good luck, Pierre, SD. Hope you go down in flames.

[eppur_se_muova]

26. Slap on the hand for echoing "pro-lifers". These are "anti-choicers".

"During this time we outnumbered the prolifers 4-1," said Susan Hill, president of the National Women's Health Organization, ...

Everyone (except the chickenhawks) is pro-life. The one thing that distinguishes the abortion rights opponents is NOT that they have any special respect for life, it's that they have LESS respect for women's reproductive rights. Don't let them dictate the language.

[Notoverit]

28. Amazing! Woo-hoo!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

29. Excellent news, indeed!

I'm so happy to know this was knocked down!

Just got my power back on (storms) and I see this and that Card resigned today.

I have much catching up to do...

[Zhade]

30. 19 votes? THAT'S ALL?

Really? For a story THIS important?

I've seen "I hate b*s*" rants get more votes.

[baby_mouse]

33. Well, Theeeeeeeeere ya go.

pubs are pro-life? YUH.

WAKE UP PUB SPORTERS

[Mad_Dem_X]

35. Yes, some good news!

Kudos to everyone who fought for the women of Mississippi! :kick:

[Callalily]

36. I applaud all who

worked towards defeating this ban. Still . . . I'm going to be cautiously optimistic.

[darthmix]

37. Makes me proud to be from Mississippi

...and I don't get to say that too often.

[intheflow]

39. Hurray!!!!

:woohoo:

I knew from experience that not all Mississippians are insane, though I suspected most of the state legislature might be. I glad to be proven wrong once again! :hi: