Lone Mississippi Clinic Fights to Remain Open

There is only one abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi. Let that sit and marinate for a moment. For the entire state, there is only one clinic providing safe abortion services to the women of Mississippi. This alone is enough to make you shake your head in disbelieve, but the worst is yet to come. In 2012, Jackson's Women's Health Organization required its doctors to have admitting privileges to nearby hospitals. After unsuccessful attempts (due to local hospital's "not wanting to deal with the potential political backlash" after granting the 2 doctors admitting privilege) the clinic is now "non- compliant." This TRAP (targeted regulations against providers) law is one of many throughout the U.S. designed to stop women from having abortions. Elected officials try to validate their war on women by saying that these and similar laws are meant to protect women or keep them safe. Newsflash: an abortion is on of these safest medical procedures! Also, the governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, has went on record saying that he will sign any anti- abortion bill because he essentially wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and abolish abortion in the U.S.

Anti- abortion legislation is not meant to protect or keep women safe; it's quite the opposite. When women don't have access to safe and affordable reproductive health care such as abortion services, we will resort to unsafe measures to end an unwanted pregnancy. Stripping women of their constitutional right to have an abortion or implementing laws that restrict access to such services is the problem: not the other way around!