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Rachel Maddow tore into Mississippi Republicans and their Gov. Phil Bryant, who claim to be "small government" conservatives, for using government regulations to shut down the state's last abortion clinic, regardless of the fact that it's supposed to still be legal in the United States. They all claim to hate those pesky regulations, unless it means using them to target women's reproductive health for ideological reasons.

As she noted, unless something changes, come January, they will have succeeded in essentially making abortion illegal in their state: Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic Could Be Forced To Close In January:

Jackson Women’s Health Organization — the only abortion clinic in the entire state of Mississippi — has been fighting to remain open after Republican legislators, aiming to force the clinic to close, passed a restrictive regulation requiring its doctors to secure hospital admitting privileges. A Bush-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked the measure in July to give the clinic’s doctors more time to apply for privileges at area hospitals, but that order expires in early January. And so far, all seven hospitals in the area have denied privileges to the doctors.

The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a motion Wednesday asking a judge to stop the law from being implemented — and forcing the clinic to stop providing abortion care — before January 6, 2013. If it closes, women in Mississippi will no longer have access to abortion in the state: [...]

Hospitals reportedly denied privileges to clinic doctors because the fact that they provide abortion services “is inconsistent with this Hospital’s policies and practices as concerns abortion and, in particular, elective abortions.” Mississippi has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, as well as the lowest abortion rate.

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As Rachel Maddow rightfully pointed out, Republicans love to rail against "big government" unless of course it means restricting women's access to health care and safe access to abortions. Then they just love really, really, really big government.

Rand Paul and his attempt to add an irrelevant "fetal personhood" amendment to the flood insurance bill went down in flames this Friday night thankfully. And in Mississippi, unless there's some intervention at the federal level, the state may find their only abortion clinic legislated out of existence this coming Sunday.

Mississippi's Sole Abortion Clinic Sues Over Restrictive Law:

Mississippi's only abortion clinic sued Wednesday to stop a law that it says will effectively ban abortion in the state and endanger women's health by limiting access to the procedure.

Jackson Women's Health Organization said in the federal lawsuit that the measure would close the clinic, is unconstitutional and would ban abortion in Mississippi "by imposing medically unjustified requirements on physicians who perform abortions."

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has said his goal is to eliminate abortions in the state, and on Wednesday he said "Mississippi stands ready to vigorously defend House Bill 1390," the new law.

When he signed the bill, Bryant responded to what effect the law could have on the state's only abortion clinic by saying, "If it closes that clinic, then so be it."

The law takes effect Sunday, but the clinic is asking a federal judge in Jackson to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the state from enforcing it.

The clinic said the unjustified requirement in the law is that it requires anyone who performs an abortion at a clinic to be an OB-GYN with privileges to admit patients to a local hospital. Lawmakers said that is for patients' safety. The lawsuit says it's impossible for the clinic's physicians to get local hospital admitting privileges by Sunday. [...]

The lawsuit is filed against the head of the state Health Department, Dr. Mary Currier. The department's spokeswoman, Liz Sharlot, said Currier had been notified but it would be "inappropriate" for the department to comment on it.

"However, we will assure that this law is enforced in the same manner as we enforce all of our other state and federal health regulations and statutes for any health care facility in this state," Sharlot said.

Sharlot said any health facility in Mississippi is given time to comply with state laws or regulations, including 30 days to appeal if a license is revoked. The department plans to inspect the abortion clinic July 2, Sharlot said.

When Bryant signed the new restrictions on April 16, he also said: "Today you see the first step in a movement, I believe, to do what we campaigned on – to say we're going to try to end abortion in Mississippi."

The clinic says unless a judge blocks enforcement, it will "be forced to stop providing abortion care to the women in Mississippi as of July 1, 2012, leaving those women with nowhere else to turn." Read on...

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This was an extremely refreshing change of pace from the usual stories we hear about abortion providers being harassed, bullied and threatened by these so-called "pro-life" groups who are always terribly concerned about inserting themselves into women's reproductive health and the rights of the unborn, but not so terribly concerned about what happens to any child after they're born. After that, you're on your own and you'd better be ready to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.

Rachel Maddow talked to Voice of Choice's Todd Stave about how he was pushing back at the harassment he received for just being a landlord to an abortion provider.

You can read more about his group here -- http://www.vochoice.org/.

And here's more on what he was putting up with from these anti-abortion protesters -- Anti-abortion protesters target clinic’s landlord outside child’s Md. school.

I'm really glad to finally see someone doing some networking to push back at the harrassment and intimidation that those who support a woman's right to make her own choices with her reproductive rights has had to put up with and with the tactics they've decided to use working, like calling the individuals and emailing those who are doing the harassing in response to their intimidation instead of just ignoring them.

I hope everyone who is as sick of watching those who are still willing to risk their lives and their well being and who are as tired of this harrassment as I am stands with Stave's group and helps them in this effort to push back at those who are doing the harassing and helps to put a stop to this behavior. It seems they don't like it so much when it's them who are receiving end of the phone calls and being called out for their harrassment and their views on abortion.

They're apparently much more comfortable harassing someone when no one knows who they are and can remain anonymous with their threats. I just hope if his movement catches on nation wide it might help to finally lessen the intimidation and threats abortion providers are putting up with week after week and day after day. It's long overdue for that harrassment to stop.

Maddow' interview with Todd Stave below the fold.

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This is not a conversation I am used to seeing in Alabama, but one I have long wanted to hear. When the new Republican House majority moved to vote on a bill that would make abortions illegal after the 20th week of gestation, Democrats filibustered. The result is an unflinching conversation about the priorities of faith-based politics: does the right to life end at birth?

In part one, Merika Coleman objects to the majority’s changes to the Special Order Calendar; Kerry Rich, the bill’s sponsor, discusses the 'scientific foundation' of his bill; Laura Hall notes the bill lacks exceptions for rape and incest; and Patricia Todd asks that the 'right to life' be applied to funding for education and child care.

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According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, this dumbass has now had his leadership post taken away by the state GOP.

Via Pat Kessler, WCCO-TV:

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — A Minnesota lawmaker is trying to explain why he showed up at a Planned Parenthood with a loaded gun. He says he just happened to pick that parking lot.

Surveillance cameras at the Planned Parenthood in St. Paul spotted Representative Tom Hackbarth of Cedar, Minn., parking his pickup and getting out with a .38 Smith and Wesson on his right hip.

Hackbarth, who is a new chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, told WCCO-TV by telephone he had “no clue” he’d parked next to a security-conscious abortion facility.

Hackbarth has been suspended from any current and pending leadership roles within the House GOP Caucus, according to a released statement from the Minnesota House of Representatives.

The statement goes on to say his suspension will remain in effect until the issue is fully resolved.
The Republican representative said a romance that started online put him in the wrong place.

“I have a permit to carry legally. I carry my gun all the time. I have never had an incident and everything is perfectly legal and above board,” said Hackbarth.

Cameras caught him walking away down a dark alley.

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