By Robert L. Johnson III

Mississippi House Minority Leader

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By Derrick Simmons

Mississippi Senate Minority Leader

Last Friday, the right wing of the Supreme Court of the United States did exactly what Republicans nominated them to do – delivered a radical decision that undermines 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade. This ruling opens the floodgates for states to ban abortion and attack the many other rights based on privacy.

As the administrative process and lawsuits move forward, abortion is legal in Mississippi. If you have an appointment, keep it. For information on the closest place to receive care, visit abortionfinder.org. 

The decision on when and whether to start or grow a family is both deeply personal and deeply informed by a person’s individual situation. We believe in the freedom of Mississippians, not the state, to make decisions about their families. We believe in the dignity of Mississippians controlling their bodies and their futures. We believe caring for each other and our community is required. We will not stop fighting for a world that reflects those values. 

While we fight for that future, we demand Republican leadership put their money where their mouth is. Republicans claim they are making Mississippi “the safest state for the unborn” yet their legislative track record shows the opposite. Mississippi Republicans have voting records that show they do not give a d— about human dignity, and they do not value the lives of women, children, or babies, especially when they are Black or poor. We simply need to see the failure to extend postpartum Medicaid to understand where they stand. 

While we mourn the impacts this ruling will have on human dignity, we are clear-eyed in preparing for the 2023 legislative session. We know the attacks will not stop with abortion. Birth control, LGBTQ+ equality, and every right based on the right to privacy is now at risk. We will continue to stand firm with Mississippians against these threats to our humanity.