1. OXFORD – Recently at the Mississippi Legislature in Jackson, MS many bills were waiting to
be passed by the Mississippi state House of Representatives. One bill in particular, the House
Bill 519, which is the Mississippi Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act.
The Mississippi Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act is defined as to
provide that it is unlawful for any person to purposely perform or attempt to perform a
dismemberment abortion and thereby kill an unborn child unless necessary to prevent serious
health risks to the unborn child’s mother.
The topic of abortion is such a sensitive subject that one has to steer clear of being biased. One
has to see both sides of the spectrum to understand this issue in full.
A single mother from the Oxford area, that wanted to be left anonymous said, “I am totally
against the bill because if this bill was to have been passed at the time of my first pregnancy, I
would not have had a choice.”
The state of Mississippi’s abortion rate has increasingly decline over the past couple of years.
Statistically, the Center for Disease Control reported that there were 2,176 abortions done in
Mississippi in 2012. That number has dropped dramatically since the year of 2003, when it was
3,753.
It is seen that many are against this bill being passed in Mississippi, but there are many other
citizens that are not opposed to it.
A.Waters, a junior at the University of Mississippi said, “I feel that any woman that is pregnant,
has the right to abort her baby if she feels she is not capable of taking care of the child. I don’t
believe a woman should be judged because that decision.”
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves gave a statement at the legislature recently. Gov. Reeves said, “I am
committed to making Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child, and this
legislation continues our work toward that goal.”
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said. “Dismemberment abortions are a horrific method and should not be
allowed in Mississippi.”
On March 29, 2016 the bill was passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives. The bill is
said to take effect after July 1, 2016.