Planned Parenthood Denounces Measure Criminalizing Abortion Passed by Mississippi Legislators

Legislators Show True Colors by Putting Politics Before Women’s Health

HATTIESBURG, MS—Planned Parenthood of Alabama, Inc., today denounces the passage of Senate Bill 2391, a bill combining the Senate’s previous measure to criminalize abortion and two restrictive measures passed by the Senate earlier this session.

Felicia Brown Williams, VP of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Alabama and director of their Mississippi public affairs program, issued the following statement about this legislation:

SB 2391 is still a measure that criminalizes abortion, and this legislation is fueled by politics, not concern for the health and safety of women. The Mississippi Legislators that voted for this bill have proven to that they care more about politics than women’s lives and health.

Birth control and medically accurate sex education are proven tools to prevent unintended pregnancy – abortion bans are not. This legislation does nothing to reduce unintended pregnancies in Mississippi.

If Mississippi Legislators truly care about reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and reducing the need for abortion, they will work with Planned Parenthood to increase access to birth control and medically accurate sex education.

(From the SaveRoe site:)

Every day in America, women are forced to play the lottery when they walk into their neighborhood pharmacies and ask for Plan B emergency contraception (EC). Planned Parenthood is launching a nationwide campaign to protect women’s health by ensuring that EC is available in every neighborhood in America. We need your help! Sign up to survey a store in your neighborhood now.

This is a fantastic way to impact our Mississippi directly.   Last year, some Mississippi activists went to large and small pharmacies in their neighborhoods, and the information pooled was staggering.  Many pharmacists had no idea what Plan B/emergency contraception was.  Some activists were even told (mistakenly) that it was "an abortion pill" and illegal.

Plan B is now an over-the-counter medication, theoretically easily-purchased by adults.  Still, state refusal clauses and uninformed pharmacies can make finding Plan B problematic.  Help prevent unwanted pregnancies by aiding Planned Parenthood in their survey efforts, and keep your medicine cabinet stocked in case of a contraceptive emergency.