Jackson billboards promote abortion pills, despite them being banned in Mississippi
Despite abortion being mostly banned in Mississippi, a new non-profit is putting up billboards in Jackson encouraging people to consider abortion pills.
Medication abortion, commonly known as the abortion pill, is illegal in most cases under Mississippi's trigger law, but that isn't stopping Mayday Health from telling people about them.
“Abortion pills have been approved by the FDA for decades. They’re safe. They’re effective through the end of the first trimester. And hardly anyone knows about them,” Olivia Raisner, Co-Founder of Mayday Health, said in a statement. “At Mayday, our goal is to change that—so everyone who gets pregnant knows that they can still make their own choices about their own bodies, even in states like Mississippi that seek to ban abortions.”
Abortion pills, which were already the most common type of abortion prior to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Decision, are expected to become even more widely used. Individuals' mail is regulated by the federal government, not the states where abortion bans are going into effect. Additionally, states where abortion remains legal are preparing to provide abortion pills to out of state travelers.
A spokesperson for Mayday Health said in an email that it does not provide legal or medical advice. It merely encourages people to explore all of their options, they said, encouraging people to use the website reprolegalhelpline.org for legal information.
"Our goal is simply to provide the best information possible, so that pregnant people can make their own choices about their own bodies," Raisner said in a statement.
Mayday Health emphasizes how safe abortion pills are for those taking them.
"There is a reason abortion pills have been FDA-approved for decades: They’re more than 99% safe—leading to fewer hospitalizations than Tylenol. They’re more than 97% effective through the first trimester," Raisner said. "They’re already used in the majority of abortions around the country. And they can be more accessible than traveling to another state for an abortion in a clinic."
Mayday Health is not the first organization to target Jackson for abortion related billboards following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Online magazine Slate put up a billboard near the state fairgrounds to advertise one of their podcasts which discusses the history of abortion.
Mayday Health chose Jackson was because of Jackson Women's Health Organization, the abortion clinic at the heart of the Dobbs decision.
"It’s an absolute disgrace that Jackson Women’s Health Organization was shut down, but that will not be the final word. People will always make their own choices about what to do with their own bodies. And at Mayday, we want everyone to have the information they need to make the best decision for themselves, including in places like Jackson where abortion clinics have been forced to close," Raisner said.
There will be three billboards in Jackson, two on U.S. 49 and one on Interstate 20. A spokesperson for Mayday Health said there are not currently plans for more billboards, or for expansion to other cities, but it may happen in the future.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mayday Health abortion pill billboards going up in Jackson
