Seventh in the Nation
Jimmy PorterThe national organization, Americans United for Life (AUL), ranks our state seventh when it comes to protecting the unborn. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 decided that the right of privacy secured by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment includes a woman’s “fundamental right” to determine whether or not to end her pregnancy. Over the years, state legislatures have attempted to make changes to modify the force of this statute by providing protection for the unborn.
In the last several years Mississippi has made great strides in this long, slow process. In fact, the AUL states, “Mississippi exemplifies how women can be protected and the number of abortions drastically reduced through incremental legislation.” Mississippi has only one abortion clinic, and according to the AUL, the abortion rate has dropped more than 60 percent.
Sunday, January 20, 2008 is designated Sanctity of Human Life Sunday across the Southern Baptist Convention. The Christian Action Commission encourages all our churches to highlight the importance of life. Even though we have made remarkable strides, being number seven is not good enough. If our favorite collegiate football, basketball, or baseball team were ranked number seven nationally, we would be ecstatic, but at the same time we would still be working for that number one position. Life is far more important than a ballgame, so we should never quit striving to be number one.
For clarification, here are a few of the statutes passed by our legislature that have provided protection for the unborn. Mississippi passed an Informed Consent Law which requires a 24-hour reflection period before an abortion and both parents consent before a minor may have an abortion. The last segment of this bill was strengthened due to legislation passed last year.
Also, a physician may not perform an abortion without providing a woman adequate counseling on medical risks and available alternatives to abortion provided by public and private agencies.
Our state has laws in place that regulate health and safety regulations for abortion clinics. Mississippi demands that second-trimester abortions be provided in hospitals. The physician providing the abortion must be licensed by the state of Mississippi. In addition, we prohibit organizations which receive state funds from using them to make referrals for abortion. In 2007 our legislature passed a law that stipulates that a woman considering an abortion be given the right to view an ultrasound and to hear the heartbeat of her child prior to an abortion.
This brief synopsis of some of our laws reveals why we are number seven. But, why are we not number one? Primarily, because we have never passed any legislation regarding destructive embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, regulations pertaining to the drug RU-86, or any measures regulating assisted reproductive technologies.
Our state, thanks be to our elected officials and the organizations that have lobbied long and hard, is a good model to be followed by other states. Yet, much more could be done and we must never stop. Every chance you get, thank your legislators and others for their tireless efforts.
“With God all things are possible” and who knows — with concerted efforts, the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision may be turned upside down or at least dismantled to the point that each state can determine its own position on life.
Remember, you are reading this because your mother believed life was a gift from God to be cherished and protected. Let’s pass this along to our children and grandchildren. Observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on January 20.