Mississippi's governor has just signed into law the tightest abortion restrictions in the US.
The bill bans most abortions after 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest.
The only exemptions are in cases where there is a foetal abnormality that is "incompatible with life", or the mother's life is in danger.
Mississippi previously banned abortions from 20 weeks. Critics say the new law is unconstitutional.
The measure was enacted on Monday by Republican Governor Phil Bryant, who says he wants the southern state to be "the safest place in America for an unborn child".
The Center for Reproductive Rights said it had filed a lawsuit to block the new law on behalf of the only abortion clinic in Mississippi, the Jackson Women's Health Organization.
Diane Derzis, who runs that clinic, said earlier this month that anti-abortion activists were seeking to undermine Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court case which legalised abortion.
She told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper: "These groups are tossing anything and everything out there, anything that could start winding its way through the legal system because we're in a very fragile place right now."
In 2014 federal judges ruled that attempts for six- and 12-week bans in North Dakota and Arkansas were unconstitutional, and struck them down.
President Trump has supported a proposed federal ban on abortions after 20 weeks after fertilisation, but the bill was blocked in the Senate in January.
Latest Stories
-
Haiti’s PM Ariel Henry resigns as transitional council is sworn in
14 mins -
Unforgettable stories from Primary School English text books
14 mins -
Jodie Comer to star in 28 Days Later sequel
23 mins -
CAFCC: GH₵36k for Baba Yara Stadium usage was for GFA, not Dreams FC – NSA clarifies
29 mins -
‘Lost’ Gustav Klimt painting sells for €30m
29 mins -
CAFCC: Zamalek arrive in Kumasi ahead of second leg against Dreams FC
33 mins -
Megan Thee Stallion: Cameraman accuses rapper of ‘hostile’ workplace
33 mins -
I would rather invest GH₵50,000 in my soul than go for body enhancement – Celestine Donkor
47 mins -
Four interdicted headteachers transferred after GES probe
56 mins -
Plastic Pollution: UN leads negotiations for international legally binding instrument to regulate usage
1 hour -
UKGCC to tour Golden Exotics on May 2, 2024 as part of World Press Freedom Day
1 hour -
NIC leads insurance firms to donate blood as part of 2023 Blood Donation Campaign
1 hour -
EC sets May 7 to 27 for voters’ register update
1 hour -
Lekzy Decomic, Clemento Suarez, OB Amponsah, others honoured at Ghana Comedy Awards
2 hours -
Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction overturned
2 hours