Mississippians for Healthy FamiliesVote NO on Initiative 26

What is Initiative 26?

Initiative 26 is a ballot initiative that Mississippians will vote on November 8th. The initiative would amend the state constitution to establish legal “personhood” at the moment of fertilization. This could mean the end of access to reproductive health care as we know it.  The stated goal of those behind Initiative 26 is to challenge Roe v. Wade, but it has many unintended medical and legal consequences.   

Initiative 26 could ban birth control. 

This initiative could ban access to common forms of birth control like the pill and the IUD.  The Mississippi chapter of American College of Obstetrician Gynecologists opposes the initiative.  

Initiative 26 could ban in-vitro fertilization.

Leading organizations in the field of in-vitro and other assisted reproductive technologies believe this will essentially ban their work to help families have children of their own.  Those organizations include the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), and RESOLVE, a national infertility group. 

Initiative 26 bans abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother.  

This extreme measure contains no exceptions, leaving women with medically complex pregnancies without access to life-saving treatment.  For women with ectopic or molar pregnancies or unrelated illnesses like cancer, this initiative jeopardizes women’s lives.  Victims of rape or incest would be forced to carry the child of their abuser. 

Mississippians need more access to health care, not less. 

This initiative does nothing to prevent abortions or improve the health of Mississippians. In a state with the highest rates of Chlamydia, gonorrhea, maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rates, we cannot afford to have less health care and family planning in Mississippi.

Who is Mississippians for Healthy Families?

Mississippians for Healthy Families (MSHF) is the voice of Vote No on 26 and comprised of women and men, doctors, attorneys, and faith leaders who understand that Initiative 26 is government interference that is bad for Mississippi's women and families. Our purpose is to educate voters on the extreme medical and legal ramifications of Initiative 26 and ensure that Mississippians know the initiative could have devastating effects on our state.