Federal judge blocks new abortion law

Earlier tonight, U.S. District Judge Dan Jordan issued a temporary restraining order blocking HB 1390 from taking effect. The new law, authored by Rep. Sam Mims (R-McComb), requires any physician performing abortions in Mississippi to be an OB-GYN with admitting privileges at a local hospital. The new law would have essentially stopped abortions in Mississippi as our state's lone abortion clinic is staffed by doctors who do not have the requisite admitting privileges. The Jackson Free Press has been kind enough to post the order.

Rep. Lester "Bubba" Carpenter on superhero abortion doctors and the need for more babies

I'm trying to focus on an oral argument tomorrow, but this was too good to keep to myself.

Rep. Lester "Bubba" Carpenter (R - Burnsville) recently opined about the new restrictions on abortion created by HB 1390, which was designed to close Mississippi's only abortion clinic.  There's some real gems in the video posted below (thanks, Alcorn County GOP, for composing this video and posting it to YouTube).

First, this, beginning at the 41 second mark:

These doctors, y'all, I learned alot about this this session. Three doctors perform abortions in the State of Mississippi. They fly in from Birmingham, they wear a mask to the clinic in their cars so nobody can see 'em, they go in the back door of the parking garage.... (The Alcorn County GOP edited something out here)

Apparently, what Rep. Carpenter learned is that Batman is performing the abortions in Mississippi.  Actually, Rep. Carpenter, if they wear masks, it's because folks like the ones you're speaking to in that room have been known to loose their minds and kill doctors who provide abortions.

And then this, at the 1:27 mark:

And of course, there you have the other side, they're like, "Well, the poor pitiful women that can't afford to go out of state are just going to start doing their own with coat hangers." That's what we heard over, and over, and over, but hey, you have to have more babies and you have to start somewhere and that's what we decided to do when this bill came along.

Yeah, screw those poor women.  Who cares about them anyway?  And we "have to have more babies"?!? Why? So you can continue to ignore the poor ones?

Here's the illustrious video:

Only 2 members of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee come from districts that supported the Personhood Amendment

Now that the bill to effectively end abortion in Mississippi is sitting in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, perhaps a look at how the constituents of the members of that committee voted on the Personhood Amendment:



Dean Kirby (R - Pearl), Chairman - 56.1% AGAINST
Hob Bryan (D - Amory), Vice-Chairman - 51.8% AGAINST
David Blount (D - Jackson) - 70.4% AGAINST
Terry C. Burton (R - Newton) - 50.3% AGAINST
Nancy Adams Collins (R - Tupelo) - 54.9% FOR
Merle Flowers (R - Southaven) - 52.1% AGAINST
Hillman Terome Frazier (D - Jackson) - 79.7% AGAINST
Alice Harden (D - Jackson) - 82.4% AGAINST
Josh Harkins (R - Flowood) - 58.6% AGAINST
W. Briggs Hopson III (R - Vicksburg) - 66.2% AGAINST
Gary Jackson (R - French Camp) - 54.8% AGAINST
Kenneth Wayne Jones (D - Canton) - 71.3% AGAINST
Rita Potts Parks (R - Corinth) - 61% FOR
Willie Simmons (D - Cleveland) - 72% AGAINST
Tony Smith (R - Picayune) - 59.2% AGAINST
Melanie Sojourner (R - Natchez) - 58.6% AGAINST
Gray Tollison (R - Oxford) - 63.8% AGAINST
Bennie L. Turner (D - West Point) - 64.4% AGAINST
Brice Wiggins (R - Pascagoula) - 62.9% AGAINST

With Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' pronouncement, the Personhood supporters have won the war; abortion to be effectively outlawed in Mississippi *UPDATED at 10:38 a.m.

What appeared to be one of the greatest surprise political victories in recent Mississippi history looks as though it will have been for naught.  In November, Mississippians overwhelmingly defeated the Personhood Amendment, which would have banned abortion in Mississippi.  But just a few months later Personhood-supporting legislators, many of whom were elected by districts that voted down Personhood, began offering legislation that would undo Personhood's defeat.

One of those bills was HB 1390.  On March 13, 2012, HB 1390, aimed at closing Mississippi's only abortion clinic, passed the House floor after contentious debate.  The bill was then transmitted to the Senate and assigned to Public Health and Welfare, chaired by Sen. Dean Kirby (R - Pearl).  After assigning the bill, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves (R) issued the following press release: