Abortions will soon be banned in Mississippi. Here’s everything you need to know.

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling on Friday upholds a Mississippi law and effectively overturns Roe v. Wade, meaning individual states now get decide on whether to allow abortions.

The decision almost immediately bans abortions in Mississippi due to a “trigger law” in place. It requires certification from state Attorney General Lynn Fitch before going into effect.

Here’s everything you need to know.

How does abortion change in Mississippi?

Mississippi has one abortion clinic in Jackson, about 3 hours from the Coast.

The Jackson Women’s Health Organization is known as the Pink House and is located in the Fondren area. The clinic workers and abortion provider have been preparing for the decision for weeks and fully expect the clinic to close.

The closest place for Mississippi Coast residents to get an abortion was in New Orleans.

However, “trigger laws” are in place in more than a dozen states, including Louisiana, that would immediately ban or restrict abortions when Roe is overturned.

In Mississippi, the trigger law would happen automatically after the Supreme Court decision and would ban abortion outright, with the exception of medical emergencies like rape or incest.

In addition to the trigger law, Mississippi currently has an unenforced pre-Roe abortion ban with exceptions for rape and protecting the life of the patient, according to the Guttmacher Institute who cataloged every state’s laws on the subject. Another law has been temporarily enjoined by court order. It is not in effect, but could take effect now that Roe has been overturned.

Gov. Tate Reeves, a conservative Republican who is a vocal pro-life advocate, supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Reeves tweeted Friday morning that it was “joyous day” and released an eight paragraph statement, vowing the .anti-abortion fight isn’t over in Mississippi. The Pink House is still open, while some clinics around the country stopped performing abortions almost immediately, or weeks ago in anticipation of this day.

The trigger ban takes effect 10 days after the attorney general determines Roe has been overturned.

Where is the closest place to get an abortion?

Mississippians will now have to travel hundreds of miles to get an abortion.

According to nola.com, the closest states to Mississippi and Louisiana unlikely to overturn abortion are North Carolina and Kansas.

North Carolina is about 800 miles, or a 12-hour car ride, from Gulfport.

Before the Supreme Court decision, the Jackson abortion clinic had recently started seeing more patients from other Southern states, including Texas, Mississippi Today reported.

Members of the Supreme Court on April 23, 2021. Seated from left are Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Standing from left are Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Is the abortion pill legal in Mississippi?

Anti-abortion advocates have vowed to work toward outlawing of the abortion pill, but it likely won’t happen, according to a report from Mississippi Today.

At Jackson Women’s Health Organization, more than half of patients get medication abortions. Mississippi law requires them to take the first pill at the clinic.

Can I still get the morning after pill in Mississippi?

The Plan B medication, more commonly known as the morning after pill, is still legal in Mississippi and is available at most pharmacies and drug stores.

Walgreens and CVS locations in Biloxi and Gulfport have Plan B available.

The Plan B pill works best when you take it three days after sexual intercourse, according to Planned Parenthood.

The emergency contraceptive costs about $50, but prices can vary.

Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court’s landmark abortion cases. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court’s landmark abortion cases. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators protest about abortion outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. 
Demonstrators protest about abortion outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022.
Abortion-rights activists protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 21, 2022.
Abortion-rights activists protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 21, 2022.