[JURIST] The Mississippi House Public Health Committee has approved a bill that would prohibit most abortions in the state, and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) [official website] has said that he plans to sign the legislation if both houses of the Mississippi Legislature [official website] approve it. The bill, which only allows exceptions to save a woman's life, would tighten Mississippi's already strict abortion laws that mandate a 24-hour waiting period, counseling, and consent from both parents for a minor.

Last week the South Dakota legislature passed a similar bill [JURIST report] that would ban abortions in the state except those saving a woman’s life. The Missouri Supreme Court [official website] on Wednesday upheld a state law [JURIST report] requiring doctors to wait 24 hours after consulting with a woman before performing an abortion. Last year, a federal judge ruled unconstitutional [JURIST report] a Mississippi statute banning abortions after the first trimester. AP has more.