Mississippi's Last Abortion Clinic Closes Following Trigger Law — Owner Vows to Continue Services

The Jackson Women's Health Organization clinic in Mississippi is relocating to New Mexico after the state's ban on abortion went into effect on Thursday

By

Vanessa Etienne

Published on July 8, 2022 01:44 PM

View of the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Jackson, Mississippi on July 6, 2022. - The clinic is the only facility that performs abortions in the state. However, on Tuesday, a chancery judge rejected a request by the clinic to temporarily block a state law banning most abortions. — Photo: SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty

Mississippi's last abortion clinic has officially closed, but its owner is vowing to keep providing services.

Following the Supreme Court's decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade, Mississippi's "trigger" law on abortion went into effect Thursday, prompting the closure of the Jackson Women's Health Organization.

The state's current trigger law bans abortions in the state, with exceptions only for cases of rape or if the abortion-seeker's life is at stake. There are no exceptions for cases of incest.

Diane Derzis, owner of the Jackson Women's Health Organization, told NPR that her clinic performed its last procedures on Wednesday and patients are "devastated" by the closure.

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Pro choice demonstrators protest in front of the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Jackson, Mississippi, on July 7, 2022. - The clinic is the only facility that performs abortions in the state. A judge on July 5, 2022, rejected a request by the clinic to temporarily block a state law banning most abortions. — SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty

The clinic's attorneys previously filed a lawsuit in hopes of temporarily blocking the law but a judge rejected the petition, citing in an opinion that a delay in the enactment of the abortion ban "would irreparably harm the state by denying the public interest in enforcement of its laws."

Despite the Mississippi clinic's closure, Derzis told the outlet that she intends to continue providing services to those who need it. She revealed her clinic is relocating and will soon provide surgical abortions to patients in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

"New Mexico, for the time being, is a very receptive state. We've been welcomed. And that obviously is closer to the Texas and Oklahoma borders and Arizona. So it seemed like one of the places we need to be," Derzis told NPR.

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Clinic Escorts post signs in front of the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Jackson, Mississippi on July 7, 2022. - The clinic is the only facility that performs abortions in the state. A judge on July 5, 2022, rejected a request by the clinic to temporarily block a state law banning most abortions. — SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty

Additionally, former patients of the Jackson Women's Health Organization have been referred to nearby states with open clinics — many patients were sent to Columbus, Georgia.

"We've probably referred 100 people yesterday to a nearby state," Derzis added, noting that her clinic's legal battle isn't over. "So, you know, that's the future of abortion care in America."

"I see many, many years of litigation ahead of us," she continued. "But as long as it is legal in the state in which we are providing the service, I intend to do that."