(LibertySociety.com) – Republican Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed eight new pro-life bills into law on April 19th, 2023. Governor Reeves stated that Mississippi is moving forward in its “pursuit to build a culture of life,” adding that he knows it will be difficult and costly, but worth doing. A Mississippi law that banned abortions after 15 weeks was the law that was challenged in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which resulted in the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States Supreme Court, sending the decision to regulate abortions back to each individual state.
Included in the eight new laws are a bill of rights for foster parents, an increase in the age limit to drop off a baby at a safe haven baby box, and a bill that creates the Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS), which makes it eligible for federal funds as a separate agency. A separate bill increases the budget for MDCPS, allowing it the largest budget in the history of the state. Governor Reeves also signed a Senate bill that creates a new tax credit for adoptive parents, offering a $10,000 credit for in-state adoptions and $5000 for out-of-state adoptions.
Another bill from the House increases the tax credit for pregnancy centers that provide necessities for babies, as well as resources for mothers, such as counseling. Pro-life groups have praised Governor Reeves and lawmakers for writing and passing the bills. Frank Pavone, the National Director for Priests for Life, applauded the effort, calling Mississippi a model for the rest of the nation, stating that Mississippi “takes care of its most vulnerable citizens” rather than “killing them for being unexpected, inconvenient or expensive.”
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