Mississippi is the latest state to put a restriction on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.
The bill is connected to a medical research study showing that a baby definitively feels pain at the 20th week of gestation, halfway through the length of a full-term pregnancy. The Mississippi law refers specifically to that research as the basis for the bill.
The law provides an exemption after 20 weeks if the woman’s life is in danger or if the baby has significant deformities that it would not survive outside the womb at full term.
“Today is an important day for protecting the unborn and the health and safety of women in Mississippi,” Governor Phil Bryant said in a statement.
Other states passing similar laws are Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Pro-abortionist were critical of the bill saying it did not provide enough exemptions for women such as in the case of incest.
