U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker was the only member of Mississippi’s Republican congressional delegation to answer questions this week about a proposal to impose a statewide ban on abortions after 15 weeks. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, recently proposed the 15-week ban after the US Supreme Court overturned the nation’s right to abortion in June in a docket case from Mississippi. The decision — Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — meant that the decision on whether to allow or restrict abortions would have to be made by each individual state. The fact that the state of Mississippi is in a real sense ground zero for the current abortion debate, thanks to the Dobbs case, makes the comments from the state’s congressional delegation relevant. But they were all silent—except Wicker. “The Senate Republican Conference is united in seeking as many pro-life protections as possible for all Americans, but that goal has historically proven to be most effectively achieved when enacted at the local level,” Wicker said in a statement. Graham, of course, is pushing for national abortion legislation. It would be fair to say that some Republican candidates are backing down on their position on abortion as the November midterm elections approach. Polls in several states, including Mississippi, show that the Supreme Court challenge to overturn Roe v. Wade, which granted the national right to abortion, may not be as popular as some conservatives thought it would be. Voters in conservative Kansas rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have made it easier for the legislature to ban abortions. This vote was a wake-up call for many. In May, before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said it was “likely” a Republican-majority Senate would pass legislation next year to impose a federal ban on abortions. But more recently, as McConnell tries to elect enough Republicans in November to win a majority in the Senate, he’s changed his tune. Speaking about Graham’s suggestion of a 15-week nationwide ban, McConnell said: “You’d have to ask him about that. In terms of planning, I think most of my congressmen would prefer that this be handled at the state level.” It’s important to note that under Graham’s proposal there would be a 15-week national ban, but states that chose to have stricter bans, such as Mississippi, would not be prevented from doing so. Mississippi prohibits all abortions except in the case of rape and to preserve the life of the mother. In addition, Mississippi has another law that prohibits abortions after six weeks, except in cases of medical emergency. Wicker pointed out that Mississippi has led the way in anti-abortion advocacy. “I hope Mississippi’s strong laws protecting the unborn can serve as a model for my colleagues and help them make a difference in their respective states,” Wicker said. “We cannot allow partisan spin to undermine our resolve to fight for the rights of the unborn, including at the federal level.” It’s fair to say that Wicker was a pioneer in passing laws to restrict abortion in Mississippi. As a state senator representing Lee and Pontotoc counties in northeast Mississippi in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the leaders in passing legislation establishing a 24-hour abortion waiting period and imposing additional restrictions on abortion clinics. At the time, few states were passing such legislation. While Wicker was the only one of five Republicans in the congressional delegation to comment on the Graham bill, all of them have previously expressed strong anti-abortion views. Mississippi’s lone Democrat in the congressional delegation – Bennie Thompson – voted for a bill that would have essentially restored the Roe v. Wade standards. That bill passed the US House but was blocked by Senate Republicans. The issue of abortion will undoubtedly be a major issue in the November election. Polls show the abortion issue could give Democrats a boost. But in Mississippi, abortion is not expected to be a major issue. Wicker and the state’s other U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith are not up for re-election this year. The three House incumbents — Michael Guest, 3rd, Trent Kelly, 1st, and Thompson, 2nd — are all favorites, and it’s doubtful their positions on abortion will change those odds much. In the 4th District, Republican Mike Ezell, who defeated incumbent Steven Palazzo in the Republican primary, is also anti-abortion. The question is whether Republicans will vote for a national ban on the combustible issue if they take over the House and Senate this November. So far, their position has been fluid. This analysis was produced by Mississippi Today, a nonprofit news organization covering state government, public policy, politics and culture. Bobby Harrison is Mississippi Today’s senior Capitol reporter.
