Mississippi governor signs nation’s most restrictive abortion law

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) has reportedly signed the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban into law.

The law Bryant reportedly signed Monday bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, down from a 20-week restriction already on Mississippi’s books

{mosads}The measure, which is effective immediately, features some exceptions, including if the woman’s life or a “major bodily function” is threatened or if the fetus has a health problem that would mean it likely wouldn’t survive outside the womb.

However, it doesn’t include exemptions in cases of rape or incest.

“As I have repeatedly said, I want Mississippi to be the safest place in America for an unborn child,” Bryant said earlier this month.

The state’s only abortion clinic has already threatened to sue. Abortion-rights activists are calling the law unconstitutional because it limits abortions before fetuses can survive outside the womb. 

Mississippi already has some of the most restrictive laws in the nation, including requirements that a woman seeking an abortion must receive counseling before doing so and wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. 

Several states ban abortion after 20 weeks, but Mississippi’s 15-week ban would make it the earliest in the nation.