A judge in Mississippi on Tuesday denied a request from the providers asking to temporarily block the state's trigger law banning nearly all abortions, which is set to take effect on Thursday.
Driving the news: Jackson Women's Health Organization — Mississippi's only abortion clinic — sued state officials last month to challenge the ban, arguing that the right to an abortion is protected under state Supreme Court precedent.
- It is the same clinic at the center of the case that resulted in the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
Details: Mississippi's trigger ban — which was enacted in 2007 — only has exceptions for risk of death or in reported cases of rape or incest.
- If a provider were to perform an abortion deemed illegal under that law, they would face up to 10 years in prison.
The big picture: Abortion rights groups have taken legal action to block abortion bans in 11 states: Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Florida, Utah and West Virginia.
- Laws in Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky and Utah have been temporarily blocked.
Context: When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, abortion did not become illegal on the federal level. Instead, the high court gave states the power to regulate abortion at any point in the pregnancy....