Mississippi governor touts ‘tradition of life’ with new legal guidelines

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves stated payments he signed Wednesday are designed to enhance foster care, velocity up adoptions and assist non-public organizations present assist to pregnant girls within the state that introduced the U.S. Supreme Courtroom case that upended abortion rights nationwide.

“Mississippi has moved to the following part in our pursuit to construct a tradition of life,” Republican Reeves stated throughout a signing ceremony. “That part is the brand new pro-life agenda. … This subsequent part is not going to be simple, and it’ll not be free. However it’s the proper factor to do.”

The Supreme Courtroom final June used a Mississippi case to overturn Roe v. Wade, its landmark 1973 ruling that had legalized abortion rights. The one abortion clinic in Mississippi shut down in early July because the state enacted a dormant regulation that bans most abortions — a regulation contingent on Roe v. Wade being eliminated.

Well being officers stated they anticipate Mississippi to have as much as 5,000 further births per yr due to the shortage of abortion. Mississippi is without doubt one of the poorest states, and it has the very best fetal mortality and toddler mortality charges within the nation, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention — statistics Reeves didn’t point out throughout his bill-signing ceremony Wednesday.

One of many measures Reeves signed, Senate Invoice 2696, creates an earnings tax credit score of as much as $10,000 for adopting a toddler who lives in Mississippi and $5,000 for a adopting a toddler from outdoors the state. It turns into regulation July 1.

Home Invoice 1671 expands a tax credit score from $3.5 million a yr to $10 million a yr statewide for folks or companies who donate to facilities that present diapers, clothes and different help for pregnant girls. The regulation is retroactive to Jan. 1.

Home Invoice 1318 permits cities and counties to ascertain secure drop-off packing containers for infants who’re as much as 45 days outdated. The invoice turned regulation when Reeves signed it Wednesday.

Home Invoice 510 is designed to extend transparency for foster dad and mom and make staff from the Mississippi Division of Youngster Safety Providers extra available to them. Reeves stated it additionally helps guarantee academic wants of foster youngsters are met. It turns into regulation July 1.

Home Invoice 1149 separates the Mississippi Division of Youngster Safety Providers from the state Division of Human Providers, beginning July 1. Reeves stated the change will permit CPS, the foster care company, to gather extra federal cash.

In March, Reeves signed laws to solidify a whole yr of Medicaid protection for girls after they provide start. Mississippi normally permits two months of postpartum Medicaid protection. The state had allowed a full yr of protection because the COVID-19 public well being emergency began in 2020, though many sufferers stated the state did little to allow them to know protection continued after the same old two months.

With the nationwide public well being emergency expiring this spring, Mississippi officers intensified their debate over committing to a full yr of postpartum advantages. Reeves is searching for reelection, and Democrats hammered him for his lengthy refusal to help the extension.