Jackson Women's Health Organization

Last updated
Jackson Women's Health Organization
AbbreviationJWHO
NicknamePink House
Established1995;29 years ago (1995)
DissolvedJuly 6, 2022;19 months ago (2022-07-06)
Type Reproductive health and abortion clinic
HeadquartersFondren, Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
OwnerDiane Derzis
Affiliations National Abortion Federation
Website jacksonwomenshealth.com

Jackson Women's Health Organization (abbreviated JWHO and commonly known as the Pink House [1] [2] ) was an abortion clinic located in a bright pink building in Jackson, Mississippi's Fondren neighborhood. [3] It was the only abortion clinic in Mississippi since the other one closed in 2006. [4] The JWHO closed its doors on July 6, 2022, following the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization , and the day before Mississippi's near-complete abortion ban went into effect. [5]

Contents

The clinic was established in 1995. [6] JWHO provided multiple reproductive health services, including abortions up to 16 weeks, birth control and checkups. [7] [8] The clinic was a member of the National Abortion Federation, which sets compliance standards for abortions to ensure the safety of patients and provide attentive care. The medical staff at JWHO consisted of OB/GYNs, licensed nurses, technicians, and counselors.

In March 2015, JWHO was vandalized, with security cameras destroyed and a generator severely damaged. [9] As of 2022, the clinic's owner was Diane Derzis. [1]

Mississippi politicians, including Governor Phil Bryant, attempted to close JWHO with TRAP laws since 2012, when Bryant signed a law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. [10] This was problematic for JWHO, because neither of its two doctors who performed abortions had such privileges. [11] In response to the law, JWHO filed for a restraining order to allow them to remain open temporarily. On Sunday, July 1, 2012, a federal judge granted them this order, preventing enforcement of the law until at least July 11, 2012. [12]

In 2013, Derzis told ABC News that both of JWHO's doctors lived out-of-state and flew in every week to work there. [13] In April 2013, Judge Daniel Porter Jordan III issued a ruling blocking part of the law that would have closed JWHO. [14]

In 2014, a divided panel of judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision blocking Mississippi from using the law to close JWHO. [15] In a statement accompanying the ruling, Judge E. Grady Jolly wrote that, "Mississippi may not shift its obligation to respect the constitutional rights of its citizen to another state". [16] In 2016, the Supreme Court refused to review the 2014 decision, thereby allowing it to stand. [17]

In March 2017, a U.S. federal court permanently blocked the state of Mississippi from closing JWHO for noncompliance with the law, while still allowing the law to move forward. [18] [19]

Additional cases were filed in March 2018 and December 2019. [20] In a 2018 lawsuit, the plaintiffs said that there was a specific point at which the abortion would be wrongful ("Gestational Age Act"). [21] This point was determined under the Gestational Age Act as 15 weeks.[ clarification needed ] This was later blocked by United States District Judge Carlton W. Reeves and upheld at the Fifth Circuit.

The state challenged the case where it was certified by the Supreme Court as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in May 2021, to be heard in the 2021–22 term. Oral arguments in court for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Organization began on December 1, 2021. [22] On September 20, 2021, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and 24 medical organizations submitted an amicus brief in support of Jackson's Women's Health Organization. [23] They deemed the ban on abortions after 15 weeks as a threat to safe medical care for women. In June 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that there existed no constitutional right to abortion, and upheld the Mississippi law, overturning the precedent set in 1973 by Roe v. Wade and in 1992 by Planned Parenthood v. Casey . Derzis announced in July that the clinic would close permanently, and that the building had been sold. [24]

As of January 2023, the former clinic has been converted into a consignment store. [25]

Related Research Articles

This is a timeline of reproductive rights legislation, a chronological list of laws and legal decisions affecting human reproductive rights. Reproductive rights are a sub-set of human rights pertaining to issues of reproduction and reproductive health. These rights may include some or all of the following: the right to legal or safe abortion, the right to birth control, the right to access quality reproductive healthcare, and the right to education and access in order to make reproductive choices free from coercion, discrimination, and violence. Reproductive rights may also include the right to receive education about contraception and sexually transmitted infections, and freedom from coerced sterilization, abortion, and contraception, and protection from practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion law in the United States by state</span> Termination of pregnancy in states of the United States

The legality of abortion in the United States and the various restrictions imposed on the procedure vary significantly depending on the laws of each state or other jurisdiction. Some states prohibit abortion at all stages of pregnancy with few exceptions, others permit it up to a certain point in a woman's pregnancy, while others allow abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. In states where abortion is legal, several classes of restrictions on the procedure may exist, such as parental consent or notification laws, requirements that patients be shown an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, mandatory waiting periods, and counselling requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlton W. Reeves</span> American judge (born 1964)

Carlton Wayne Reeves is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and chair of the United States Sentencing Commission.

Abortion is the termination of human pregnancy, often performed in the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade recognized a constitutional right to obtain an abortion without excessive government restriction, and in 1992 the Court in Planned Parenthood v. Casey invalidated restrictions that create an undue burden on people seeking abortions. Since then, there has continued to be an abortion debate in the United States, and some states have passed laws in the form of regulation of abortions but which have the purpose or effect of restricting its provision. The proponents of such laws argue they do not create an undue burden. Some state laws that impact the availability of abortions have been upheld by courts. In 2022, Roe and Casey were overturned by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, meaning that states may now regulate abortion in ways that were not previously permitted.

The Red River Women's Clinic was originally located in Fargo, North Dakota, and for many years was the only abortion clinic in North Dakota. It began operating in 1998. The clinic's director is Tammi Kromenaker. In 2013, the Center for Reproductive Rights sued on behalf of the clinic over a law requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges to local hospitals.

Abortion in Oklahoma is illegal unless the abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman.

Abortion in Alabama is illegal. Historically, Alabama's abortion laws have evolved from strict regulations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to a period of liberalization following the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide. However, Alabama has consistently enacted legislation aimed at restricting access to abortion.

Abortion in Georgia is legal up to the detection of an embryonic heartbeat, which typically begins in the 5th or 6th week after the onset of the last menstrual period (LMP) or in two to three weeks after implantation. This law came into force on July 20, 2022, almost a month after the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. ___ (2022) ruling. In 2007, mandatory ultrasound requirements were passed by state legislators. Georgia has continually sought to legislate against abortion at a state level since 2011. The most recent example, 2019's HB 481, sought to make abortion illegal as soon as an embryonic heartbeat can be detected; in most cases that is around the six-week mark of a pregnancy. Many women are not aware they are pregnant at this time. An injunction was issued against this bill by a federal judge, who ruled that it contravened the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2014 found that 49% of Georgians believed abortions should be illegal in all or most cases vs 48% legal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Missouri is illegal, with abortions only being legal in cases of medical emergency and several additional laws making access to abortion services difficult. In 2014, a poll by the Pew Research Center found that 52% of Missouri adults said that abortion should be legal vs. 46% that believe it should be illegal in all or most cases. According to a 2014 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) study, 51% of white women in the state believed that abortion is legal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Kentucky is illegal. There were laws in Kentucky about abortion by 1900, including ones with therapeutic exceptions. In 1998, the state passed legislation that required clinics to have an abortion clinic license if they wanted to operate. By the early 2010s, members of the Kentucky Legislature attempted to ban abortion in almost all cases and had also introduced the early abortion bans. Prior to 2019, Kentucky law prohibited abortions after week 22. This changed when the state legislature passed a law that moved the prohibition to week 6 in the early part of the year. In that year, 57% of people in Kentucky said abortion should be "illegal in all or most cases." A bill passed and made effective in April 2022 lowered the threshold to 15 weeks, the second most restrictive limit in effect in the United States behind Texas, and introduced regulations that made abortion illegal until it was blocked in federal court.

Abortion in Michigan is legal throughout all stages of pregnancy. A state constitutional amendment to explicitly guarantee abortion rights was placed on the ballot in 2022 as Michigan Proposal 22–3; it passed with 57 percent of the vote, adding the right to abortion and contraceptive use to the Michigan Constitution. The amendment largely prevents the regulation of abortion before fetal viability, unless said regulations are to protect the individual seeking an abortion, and it also makes it unconstitutional to make laws restricting abortions which would protect the life and health, physical and/or mental, of the pregnant individual seeking abortion.

Abortion in Mississippi is illegal. The new law took effect on July 7, 2022, after Mississippi State Attorney General Lynn Fitch certified on June 27, the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 24 of that year.

Abortion in North Dakota is illegal. The state's sole abortion clinic relocated to Minnesota.

Abortion in Utah is legally performed under a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the state's trigger law, which bans abortion. According to HB136, which is effective state law from June 28, 2022, abortions are banned following 18 weeks of gestation. Abortion was banned following the Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 24, 2022. Utah State Legislation enacted SB 174 in May 2020, which, upon the overturn of Roe v. Wade, made inducing an abortion a second-degree felony. The law includes exceptions for pregnancies "caused by rape or incest," pregnancies that put the mother's life at risk, or "if two doctors say the fetus has a lethal defect." Rape and incest exceptions will only be viable if the crimes were previously reported to law enforcement officials.

Abortion in Florida is currently legal until the 15th week of gestation under legislation signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Since 1989, the Florida Supreme Court has held that Article 1, Section 23 of the Florida Constitution protects access to abortion. This means that, despite the United States Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, abortion remains legal in Florida. However, on April 13, 2023, the Florida Legislature passed and Governor DeSantis signed into law the Heartbeat Protection Act, which outlaws abortion after 6 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, human trafficking, a diagnosis of a fatal fetal abnormality, and when required to save the pregnant woman's life or protect her health. The Act takes effect if the state Supreme Court upholds the 15-week ban, currently being challenged.

Abortion in Guam is legal under territorial law, but the absence of abortion providers in the territory means that it is effectively impossible to receive abortion services.

Abortion in Wyoming is currently legal due to a temporary court injunction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on abortion in the United States</span> Impact of COVID-19

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-abortion government officials in several American states enacted or attempted to enact restrictions on abortion, characterizing it as a non-essential procedure that can be suspended during the medical emergency. The orders have led to several legal challenges and criticism by abortion-rights groups and several national medical organizations, including the American Medical Association. Legal challenges on behalf of abortion providers, many of which are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, have successfully stopped some of the orders on a temporary basis, though bans in several states have not been challenged.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), returning to individual states the power to regulate any aspect of abortion not protected by federal law.

Mayday Health is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that educates on medication abortion and how to access it in the United States. It was founded in 2022 in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) court decision that limited access to abortion in many U.S. states. Mayday educates on self-managed abortion and does not sell or distribute the abortion pill. Mayday was founded after the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The organization launched on the day of the Dobbs decision.

References

  1. 1 2 Harris, Bracey (July 6, 2022). "The Mississippi abortion clinic at the center of the Supreme Court fight shuts its doors for good". NBC News . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ Perlis, Wicker (June 24, 2022). "Jackson's Pink House staff members say goodbyes, plan for the future in a post-Roe world". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ Allen, Samantha (2015-03-13). "Working at Pink House, Mississippi's Last Abortion Clinic". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  4. ↑ Lockhart, P.R. (2017-05-05). "To understand the cost of the war on women, look to Mississippi". Mother Jones.
  5. ↑ Pettus, Emily Wagster (July 6, 2022). "Scramble as last Mississippi abortion clinic shuts its doors". AP . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  6. ↑ PABLO BEAUREGARD, LUIS (June 27, 2022). "Inside the Mississippi abortion clinic that triggered Supreme Court ruling: 'Everyone who kills babies deserves to die'". El País . PRISA . Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ Arnold, Amanda (2017-05-04). "A New Threat to Mississippi's Only Abortion Clinic Moved in Across the Street". The Cut. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  8. ↑ "Abortion at SCOTUS: Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health". Kaiser Family Foundation. 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  9. ↑ Cohen, David S.; Connon, Krysten (2015-03-25). "Not an Isolated Incident". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  10. ↑ Blau, Max (2015-09-28). "Owner of Mississippi's last abortion clinic won't stop fighting for her patients". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  11. ↑ Sheppard, Kate (2013-01-22). "Inside Mississippi's Last Abortion Clinic". Mother Jones.
  12. ↑ Rich Phillips; George Howell (2012-07-01). "Mississippi's only abortion clinic to stay open under restraining order". CNN. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  13. ↑ "72 Hours Inside Mississippi's Lone Abortion Clinic". ABC News. 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  14. ↑ Robertson, Campbell (2013-04-15). "Ruling Prevents Closing of Mississippi's Only Abortion Clinic". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  15. ↑ Robertson, Campbell; Eckholm, Erik (2014-07-29). "Judges Block Abortion Curb in Mississippi". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  16. ↑ Liptak, Adam (2016-06-28). "Justices' Orders Underscore Ruling Against Abortion Limits". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  17. ↑ "Supreme Court Refuses to Review Mississippi's Clinic Shutdown Law" (Press release). Center for Reproductive Rights. 2016-06-28.
  18. ↑ Regan, Michael (2017-03-18). "Court blocks Mississippi law that would have shuttered state's only abortion clinic". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  19. ↑ "Federal District Court Permanently Blocks Mississippi's Clinic Shutdown Law" (Press release). Center for Reproductive Rights. 2017-03-17.
  20. ↑ "Jackson Women's Health Organization v. Dobbs, No. 18-60868 (5th Cir. 2019)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  21. ↑ "Jackson Women's Health Organization v. Currier [15-week ban]". Rewire.News. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  22. ↑ "Jackson Women's Health Organization v. Dobbs". Center for Reproductive Rights . Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  23. ↑ "ACOG Leads Groundbreaking Coalition in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization". www.acog.org. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  24. ↑ "Owner: Mississippi abortion clinic is sold, won't reopen". Politico . July 18, 2022.
  25. ↑ Harris, Bracey (2023-01-12). "The abortion clinic at the center of the Supreme Court ruling will become a secondhand store". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
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