Mississippi is the most recent state to outlaw abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy reports Charisma News.
The new law will go into effect in July.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said, “Today is an important day for protecting the unborn and the health and safety of women in Mississippi,” after signing the bill.
While abortion has been legal in the United States since 1973, large groups of citizens object to the practice. Mississippi moved to ban late term pregnancy when research was released claiming that fetuses develop the ability to feel pain at 20 weeks.
According to the law, doctors who perform abortions after the 20 week period could face loss of medical license.
In the event that a woman’s life was at risk, there is a clause to permit later-pregnancy abortions. The same rule applies if a fetus has “abnormalities so great that life outside the womb is not viable.”