Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Ban Bill Clears Mississippi Legislative Committee

The Associated Press: Mississippi Considers Abortion Ban After Fetal Heartbeat
Mississippi lawmakers are considering what could become one of the strictest abortion laws in the country. Bills that passed legislative committees Tuesday would ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has said he will sign either House Bill 732 or Senate Bill 2116 , which are moving to the full House and Senate for more work. Supporters and opponents anticipate a court fight. (Pettus, 2/5)

The Associated Press: Appeals Court To Weigh Planned Parenthood’s Texas Case
The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will reconsider whether Texas can eliminate Planned Parenthood from the state Medicaid program. The New Orleans-based court’s decision Monday comes after a three-judge panel of the court lifted a February 2017 preliminary injunction that prevented the state from eliminating Planned Parenthood from the program. (2/5)

Dallas Morning News: Abortion, Transgender Health Protections Should Be ‘Wiped Permanently’ From Obamacare, Says Texas AG Ken Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked a federal judge to ax health care protections in the Affordable Care Act for transgender Americans and women seeking abortions. On Monday, Paxton and leaders from seven other states filed a motion in federal court to undo rules that bar discrimination based on “gender identity” and “termination of pregnancy” in the act, also known as Obamacare. (McGaughy, 2/5)