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JACKSON, Mississippi, June 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The Mississippi legislature yesterday sent to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk a bill banning abortions on the basis of sex, race, disability, or genetic makeup. Reeves, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill, called the Life Equality Act, into law.

The bill passed the Senate on Thursday and then was affirmed by the House yesterday by a concurrence vote.

“Children shouldn't have to pass a genetics test to earn the right to be born, should they?” Senator Jenifer Branning, a Republican from Mississippi’s Philadelphia district, asked on the Senate floor. “There are some fights that are just worth fighting, aren't there?”

“I am very proud to have helped protect the unborn and help get the Life Equality Act into Mississippi law!” commented Rep. Carolyn Crawford (R-Pass Christian), who sponsored the bill in the House.

“Mississippi has once again declared that measures to protect innocent lives are a priority for us,” said Rep. Nick Bain (R-Corinth) who defended the bill on the House floor and in committee.

The bill requires that “in every case in which a physician performs or induces an abortion on an unborn human being, the physician shall within fifteen (15) days of the procedure” submit to the government a report stating what day he aborted the baby and what method of abortion he used. He must also submit a “statement confirming that the reason for the abortion, as stated by the maternal patient, was not because of the unborn human being's actual or presumed race or sex or the presence or presumed presence of any genetic abnormality.”

The bill allows exceptions in cases of medical emergency. Abortionists who break the law could face felony charges, up to 10 years in prison, and suspension or revocation of their medical licenses.

“On the basis of race and sex, a family’s preference for a male or a non-bi-racial child must absolutely come to an end in Mississippi,” wrote Brett Kittredge for the Mississippi Public Policy Center. “The pressure many women receive to have a particular kind of child is unacceptable in our diverse society.”

Mississippi has one abortion center, Jackson Women’s Health Organization

“We are excited to see the Life Equality Act advance one step closer to becoming law,” said Sue Liebel, State Policy Director for the Susan B. Anthony List. “Governor Tate Reeves is a strong pro-life leader and we are confident he will sign it without delay.”

“Mississippians agree: Abortions carried out because of a baby’s sex, race, or potential disability, such as Down syndrome, constitutes modern-day eugenics,” she said. “It is unacceptable in this day and age that unborn children can be targeted for lethal discrimination in the womb, something that would not be considered tolerable anywhere else in our society.”

Laws banning abortions committed specifically because of a baby’s race, sex, or disability have passed in several other states, including Indiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky

In Iceland, nearly 100 percent of babies whose prenatal tests indicate they may have Down syndrome are aborted. Numbers in other parts of Europe and the United States are also well above 50 percent.