Gov. Tate Reeves.Photo: Rogelio V. Solis-Pool/Getty
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declined to rule out a possible state ban on forms of birth control ifRoe v. Wadeis overturned, saying only that it’s “not what we are focused on at this time.”
Duringan interview on CNN’sState of the Unionto discuss Mississippi’s potential next stepsif the Supreme Court votes to strike downRoe, which established the right to abortion, Reeves, a Republican, confirmed that a trigger law put in place in 2007 would immediately outlaw abortions in the state.
Host Jake Tapper then asked Reeves if Mississippi might outlaw contraceptives such as Plan B, known as the morning after pill, or intrauterine devices (IUDs), and the governor sidestepped the question, saying that it wasn’t a focus “at this time.”
“My view is that the next phase of the pro-life movement is focusing on helping those moms that maybe have an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy,” Reeves said Sunday. “And while I’m sure there will be conversations around America regarding [contraceptives], it’s not something that we have spent a lot of time focused on.”
Tapper had asked Reeves about contraception because in neighboring Louisiana, members of the state legislature have advanced a bill that would make abortion a homicide, and the wording allows for people with IUDs to be penalized.
“They’re talking about not only criminally charging girls and women who get abortions as committing homicide, but they’re also talking about defining the moment of conception as fertilization, which would theoretically … mean if you use an IUD [intrauterine device], you are committing murder,” Tapper said.
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Reeves also said that he thinks “life begins at conception.”
Mississippi’s current trigger law would ban abortions in the state, with exceptions only for cases of rape or if the abortion-seeker’s life is at stake. There are no exceptions for cases of incest.
Meanwhile, Democratic governors like California’s Gavin Newsom, Maine’s Janet Mills, New York’s Kathy Hochul and North Carolina’s Roy Cooper,among others, have reiterated that abortion will remain legal in their states.
The U.S. Senate will also vote on Wednesday on theWomen’s Health Protection Act, which theHouse has already approved and would codifyRoeinto a nationwide law. But Democrats do not have enough votes to pass the legislation, with moderate Republicans like Maine’s Susan Collins saying she would vote against it, and it is expected to fail.
source: people.com
