Mississippi officials maintain that the recent U.S. Supreme Court order allowing women to receive abortion medication by mail does not impact the state’s new law banning access to abortion-inducing drugs. The law, signed by Gov. Tate Reeves in April, took effect July 1 and prohibits the sale, transfer, or prescription of such drugs in Mississippi, except in limited cases.
State Rep. Celeste Hurst, a Republican who championed the legislation, said the law was carefully crafted to prevent the unlawful distribution of abortion drugs. She told the Magnolia Tribune that the Supreme Court’s decision is unrelated to Mississippi’s legislation, which was enacted in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.
The Supreme Court’s recent order allows women to continue receiving abortion medication by mail while a case out of Louisiana is considered by a three-judge panel at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case challenges the Food and Drug Administration’s rules for prescribing mifepristone. The FDA has repeatedly deemed the drug safe and effective.
The Louisiana lawsuit argues that the FDA’s regulations undermine state bans and questions the safety of mifepristone. During the Biden administration, rules were relaxed to permit mail orders and telehealth prescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, in-person procurement was required.
Hurst emphasized that Mississippi law remains in effect unless explicitly overturned by a court. The legislation criminalizes the knowingly illegal sale, transfer, or possession of abortion-inducing drugs, with penalties including imprisonment for up to 10 years. Civil suits can also be filed to enforce the law.
Opposition from Democrats in the state legislature characterized the bill as unnecessary and harmful to women’s health. Despite legal challenges, Hurst expressed confidence in the law’s robustness and its enforcement in Mississippi.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
