State Sen. Derrick Simmons and State Rep. Robert Johnson
Johnson, Simmons push website of where to get an abortion, urge abortion seekers to keep their appointments.
Tuesday, Mississippi Legislative Democrat leaders released a joint statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case that overturned of Roe v. Wade.
The two also pointed those who want an abortion to a website for the “closest place to receive care.”
House Minority Leader State Representative Robert Johnson and Senate Minority Leader State Senator Derrick Simmons called the 6-3 decision in Mississippi’s case “radical.”
“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,” Johnson and Simmons said in their release.
The two top Democrats in the Legislature say that as the administrative process and lawsuits move forward, abortion is still legal in Mississippi.
“If you have an appointment, keep it,” they say, adding, “For information on the closest place to receive care, visit abortionfinder.org.”
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That website lists more than 700 abortion providers in the nation and is funded through partnerships with the National Abortion Federation (NAF), Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH).
The Democrat leaders say they will not stop fighting for a world where Mississippians control their own bodies and futures. They also “demand” the supermajority Mississippi Republican House and Senate leadership “put their money where their mouth is” while promoted Medicaid expansion.
“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,” Johnson and Simmons said. “Mississippi Republicans have voting records that show they do not give a damn 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 post-partum Medicaid to understand where they stand.”
Johnson and Simmons say the ruling potentially has adverse effects on other privacy rights as well, a narrative national Democrats have seized on in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling essentially to enrage their voting base on the left.
“While we mourn the impacts this ruling will have on human dignity, we are clear-eyed in preparing for the 2023 legislative session,” Johnson and Simmons said. “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.”
