Timeline of events that led to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
Mississippi passes 15-week abortion ban – Mar. 19, 2018
In 2018, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1510, also known as the Gestational Age Act, into law. The new measure bans abortions after 15 weeks into a pregnancy, except in cases of life-threatening medical emergency or severe fetal deformity.
“I was proud to sign House Bill 1510 this afternoon. I am committed to making Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child, and this bill will help us achieve that goal,” tweeted Bryant at the time.
The new law runs afoul of Roe v. Wade, which prohibits state governments from banning abortion before fetal viability.
Soon after it was signed, the law became the subject of litigation, as Mississippi’s lone abortion clinic, Jackson Women’s Health Organization, sued the state.