Y'all Politics
New Mississippi AG Lynn Fitch to appeal 15-week abortion ban to SCOTUS
By Frank Corder
Following the news Friday that a federal appeals court will not reconsider its ruling blocking Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch tweeted, “I am disappointed with the 5th Circuit’s order on our 15-week abortion regulation. I am committed to defending this law and will appeal the decision to the United States Supreme Court.”
The news affects Louisiana as well. The Bayou State passed its own 15-week abortion ban that would take effect only if Mississippi’s law was upheld.
The next step for the Mississippi law would be at the U.S. Supreme Court if the state does indeed appeal the decision by Judge Carlton Reeves.
Governor Tate Reeves was Lt. Governor when the initial bill was passed. He has called abortion “evil” and formed a Pro-Life Coalition during the 2019 campaign. Reeves said then, “I believe we can and in fact we must make Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child.”
Democrat State Rep. Jeramey Anderson responded to AG Fitch in a tweet, saying, “I suggest we take the money and resources you intend to use for this pointless appeal and redirect it to a more useful cause, like helping to solve the inhuman situation in our correctional facilities.”
A Louisiana case over the constitutionality requiring physicians doing abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic is set to be heard by the Supreme Court in March.
An amicus brief was filed by 207 members of Congress to reconsider the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Among those were Mississippi’s Republican delegation, including both U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, as well as Congressmen Steven Palazzo, Trent Kelly, and Michael Guest.
Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson did not join his colleagues.
The Louisiana case is the first abortion-related argument to come before the High Court since Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch took the bench, giving many pro-life conservatives hope of action that could limit or even overturn the 47 year abortion precedent.