Mississippi is moving a bill forward that would ban abortion based on fetal race, sex, or genetic anomaly, the Clarion Ledger reports.
If passed, physicians or other healthcare workers who perform abortions sought on those grounds could face up to 10 years in prison, but women seeking the procedure would not face prosecution. The Mississippi State Senate passed the bill this week in a 33-to-11 vote, and the House considered it back in March. According to the Clarion Ledger, the bill is to return to the State House to accept a change made by the Senate before moving to the governor's desk.
As Y'all Politics notes, the bill does not define what constitutes a genetic abnormality, but adds that during the floor debate, Senator Joey Fillingane, a Republican, referred to Down syndrome.
According to the Clarion Ledger, nine states ban abortion based on sex of the fetus, two based on race, and two because of genetic anomalies, with only Missouri currently banning it on all three grounds, as Kentucky's ban is on hold by court order.