Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mississippi's 15-Week Abortion Ban 'Unequivocally' Unconstitutional, Judge Rules
A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, one of the most restrictive in the United States. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled that the law "unequivocally" violates women's constitutional rights. "The record is clear: States may not ban abortions prior to viability," Reeves said, citing Supreme Court rulings. (Pettus, 11/20)
The law, which was enacted in March, would have prohibited abortions 15 weeks after the woman鈥檚 last menstrual period. It would have been one of the nation鈥檚 most restrictive abortion bans.聽The law made exceptions in cases of a medical emergency that threatened the mother or "a severe fetal abnormality"聽that would have prevented the fetus surviving outside of the womb. (Gstalter, 11/20)
In other news聽鈥
Anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List is jumping into the Mississippi Senate race with a five-figure digital ad campaign targeting Democrat Mike Espy. Espy is facing a runoff election against incumbent freshman Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Nov. 27. Women Speak Out PAC, which is a partner of the group, is releasing the ads targeting inconsistent pro-life voters. The ads attack Espy for being 鈥渢oo extreme鈥 for Mississippi because of his support for abortion. (Weixel, 11/20)