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While the 2020 college football season remains in limbo with the Big 10 cancelling their season and the Pac 12 waffling, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference has been given the green light to continue with plans for football this fall. 

And if college football does happen in Mississippi, it will do so with the support of Gov. Tate Reeves, and both SEC universities in the state: Ole Miss and Mississippi State. 

Reeves took to social media today to outline his support, calling college football essential, and backed up his support during today's news conference.   

“What do opponents of football think, these kids will end up in a bubble without it?" Reeves said. "You can get COVID anywhere. There are forces who want to cancel everything to avoid risk at all societal costs. It’s foolish. We have to balance risk and costs."

Along with – mostly – Republican governors like Reeves pushing for college football, we have also seen an organic campaign from student athletes. Using the hashtag “WeWantToPlay,” we have seen players, coaches, and institutions make their voice heard over a sports media empire destined to cancel college football. 

You can include Ole Miss and State with that group. 

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin also joined in the campaign:

As did Mississippi State AD John Cohen:

The message from Mississippi's universities and political leaders? We want to play.

Gov. Tate Reeves signed The Life Equality Act (HB 1295) today, joining a growing number of states standing against eugenics and discriminatory abortions. Rep. Carolyn Crawford sponsored The Life Equality Act, with a companion bill filed by Sen. Jenifer Branning. 

“Women should not be pressured to have an abortion because their child is different: of a different ability, of a different race, of a different sex,” stated Dr. Jameson Taylor, vice president for policy with the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. “Mississippi has an obligation to repudiate and reject its dark past that includes the forced sterilization of African-American women and the handicapped.”

The Life Equality Act prohibits the use of abortion as a tool of genetic manipulation, conforming Mississippi’s abortion policies to state and federal civil rights protections. Multiple states have passed similar laws in recent years, with Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri providing protection against discrimination on the basis of sex, race and genetic condition. Other states have passed laws covering at least one of these categories. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court indicated a desire to see additional federal courts examine the constitutionality of such protections. 

A May 2019 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court (Box v. Planned Parenthood) urged states to consider that “abortion is an act rife with the potential for eugenic manipulation” and that “from the beginning, birth control and abortion were promoted as means of effectuating eugenics.” In addition, the December 2019 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down Mississippi’s 15-week abortion law cautions that the “history of abortion advocacy” is infected with the “taint of racism” because abortion “has proved to be a disturbingly effective tool for implementing the discriminatory preferences that undergird eugenics.”

“The Life Equality Act sends a clear message that abortion should not be used to discriminate against women and children, regardless of race, sex or genetic condition,” stated Dr. Taylor. “Mississippi lawmakers are taking a cue from both the U.S. Supreme Court and the 5th Circuit, which have indicated it is time for states to consider how abortion can easily become a deadly tool of discrimination.”

The Box decision observed that the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero is 67 percent in the United States and that the abortion rate “among black women is nearly 3.5 times the ratio for white women.” Likewise, a recent study from the Institute for Family Studies finds that U.S. sex ratios at birth suggest a growing trend of sex-selective abortions aimed at baby girls.

The Mississippi House today passed The Life Equality Act, sending it to Gov. Tate Reeves for his signature. 

The Life Equality Act, House Bill 1295, prohibits the use of abortion as a tool of genetic manipulation, conforming Mississippi’s abortion policies to state and federal civil rights protections. The bill prohibits the use of abortion as a means of discriminating against minorities, women, and the disabled.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Crawford, with a companion bill by Sen. Jenifer Branning. Rep. Nick Bain and Sens. Brice Wiggins and Joey Fillingane also directed the bill to passage in their respective chambers, with the strong support of Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.

“If abortion is about choice, a forced abortion absolutely violates the right to choose,” stated Dr. Jameson Taylor, Vice President for Policy at Mississippi Center for Public Policy. “Women should not be pressured to have an abortion because their child is different: of a different ability, of a different race, of a different sex. Mississippi has an obligation to repudiate and reject its dark past that includes the forced sterilization of African American women.”

A May 2019 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court (Box v. Planned Parenthood) urged states to consider that “abortion is an act rife with the potential for eugenic manipulation” and that “from the beginning, birth control and abortion were promoted as means of effectuating eugenics.” In addition, the December 2019 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down Mississippi’s 15-week abortion law cautions that the “history of abortion advocacy” is infected with the “taint of racism” because abortion “has proved to be a disturbingly effective tool for implementing the discriminatory preferences that undergird eugenics.”

“Mississippi lawmakers are taking a cue from both the U.S. Supreme Court and the 5th Circuit, which have indicated it is time for states to consider the discriminatory impacts of abortion,” Taylor added. “The Life Equality Act sends a clear message that abortion should not be used to discriminate against women and children, regardless of race, sex or ability.”

The Box decision observed that the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero is 67 percent in the United States and that the abortion rate “among black women is nearly 3.5 times the ratio for white women.” Likewise, a recent study from the Institute for Family Studies finds that U.S. sex ratios at birth suggest a growing trend of sex-selective abortions aimed at baby girls.

The Senate adopted the Life Equality Act today to prohibit abortions from taking place in Mississippi on the basis of race, sex, or genetic abnormality except in medical emergencies. 

House Bill 1295, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Crawford, would require the Department of Health to create a documentation process that all those performing abortions would need to follow prior to the abortion. The law authorizes the attorney general to bring enforcement action against those who perform abortion and do not follow the law.

Diagnoses of genetic abnormalities like Down Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis lead to termination of the child more often than not. Even in non-fatal cases, as many as 67 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States. 

Recent evidence suggests that as many as 95 percent of parents receiving a prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis elect to terminate the child. On the basis of race and sex, a family’s preference for a male or a non-bi-racial child must absolutely come to an end in Mississippi. The pressure many women receive to have a particular kind of child is unacceptable in our diverse society. 

The legislation will now return to the House for concurrence. If the House does concur, it will then head to the governor’s desk. 

Ten other states have passed similar measures to ban abortions on the basis of sex, seven on the basis of disability.

The Life Equality Act, House Bill 1295, passed out of Senate Committee Judiciary B last week. If signed into law, it will prohibit abortions from taking place in Mississippi on the basis of race, sex, or genetic abnormality except in medical emergencies. 

It might come as a surprise to Mississippians that this discrimination takes place at the earliest stages of life. Diagnoses of genetic abnormalities like Down Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis lead to termination of the child more often than not. Even in non-fatal cases, as many as 67 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States. Recent evidence suggests that as many as 95 percent of parents receiving a prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis elect to terminate the child. On the basis of race and sex, a family’s preference for a male or a non-bi-racial child must absolutely come to an end in Mississippi. The pressure many women receive to have a particular kind of child is unacceptable in our diverse society. 

The Senate committee was the most recent checkpoint for The Life Equality Act on its way to being added to state law. Led by Sen. Brice Wiggins (R-Pascagoula), the Judiciary B Committee Chairman, an affirmative voice vote sent this law to the Senate floor for consideration.

A proponent of the bill and member of the considering committee, Sen. Jeremy England (R- Ocean Springs), spoke out on social media with his support, “I believe it is of the utmost importance that our laws are applied equally and that they provide equal protection of our God-given rights. This of course includes the right to life.” 

Presenting the bill to the committee was Sen. Joey Fillingane (R-Sumrall), who answered questions from the committee members on Tuesday. A voice vote for the bill was then carried out which offered an overwhelming affirmation. 

The bill was introduced in the House by Representative by Rep. Carolyn Crawford (R- Pass Christian) and the Senate version of the bill was introduced this year by Sen. Jenifer Branning (R-Philadelphia) – two women dedicated to the protection of life in Mississippi. 

The bill got a boost from the support of Mississippi’s Catholic Bishops, Joseph Kopacz and Louis Kihneman III, of Jackson and Biloxi respectively. The two Catholic leaders sent a powerful joint letter in support of the legislation.

If this law is passed, it pushes against the narrative and legal precedent that states do not have an interest in protecting life before the viability of an unborn child. In fact, race, sex, and genetic abnormalities can all be determined before the stage of viability. Eugenic practices and discrimination are certainly interests of the state-level government. 

It is critical that our state stand against discrimination in the womb. Mississippians affirm that life has value- regardless of race, sex, or ability. With conversations surrounding discrimination at the forefront in our society at the moment, it is critical that we seek to defend the voiceless as well. Those innocents in the womb are unable to defend themselves but are worth defending nonetheless. 

The leaders of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson and Biloxi, Bishops Joseph R. Kopacz and Louis F. Kihneman III respectively, have stated their support for currently pending legislation that would further protect the sanctity of life.

House Bill 1295, known as the Life Equality Act, would ban abortions that are performed due to the race, sex, or genetic abnormality of the child unless it is a medical emergency. This critical anti-discrimination legislation is a major step forward in the fight against the discrimination of unborn children.

Physicians would be required to keep certain records related to abortion that would be reported to the Mississippi Department of Health. The bill would also put a criminal penalty and professional sanctions on doctors who do not abide the law. For greater detail about the bill, check out this piece by Anja Baker.

In a public letter, the bishops stated that the “Church’s steadfast stance on the protection of unborn human lives has biblical support, e.g., the words of Psalm 139, declaring that each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made, knit in our mothers’ wombs. But even if one does not acknowledge the Bible, the truth that the womb of a pregnant woman contains a unique human life cannot be denied. This truth ought to be reflected by our Mississippi legal system without prejudice.”

The letter went on to state: “We believe in the legal protection of these classes as they are equal in the eyes of our Creator. We seek to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ by caring for the most vulnerable among us.”

The letter concludes by referencing the 25th Anniversary of Evangelism Vitae, “Gospel of Life,” Saint John Paul II’s powerful defense of life and its inherent value.

Rep. Carolyn Crawford (R-Pass Christian) and Sen. Jenifer Branning (R-Philadelphia) have stepped up by introducing the Life Equality Act and have shown their deep commitment to equality before the law and the defense of unborn lives no matter their race, gender, or personal ability.

While some continue to defend sex-selective abortions, clearly seen in this Guardian opinion piece, this choice overly destroys the lives of unborn girls due to existing biases for a variety of reasons. In 2011, it was estimated that 160 million women were missing from this earth directly due to sex-selective abortions.

Furthermore, abortion already has a larger impact on certain races than others. In Mississippi, 79 percent of abortions are obtained by black women. It is worth noting as well that 79 percent of Planned Parenthood’s clinics around the nation are in minority neighborhoods. Whatever one’s thoughts on the practice, these statistics should horrify us. This bill would take the important step of stopping those who seek to abort an unborn child solely because of his or her race, and thus suppressing one of the small ways that abortion devalues life based on race.

This bill becomes all the more critically important as the debate surrounding the abortion of certain children, such as those with down syndrome has raised a serious debate. Recently, certain news outlets praised the nation of Iceland for effectively eliminating down syndrome in the country. However, it was quickly revealed that the method of eradication was actually a horrendous degree of abortion selectivity applied to unborn children who were found to have down syndrome.

In a recent debate in England, activists have pleaded for the public to change the laws that allow abortion until birth when the child has down syndrome. For reference, England has a standard 24 week limit for abortion for all other children. Heidi Crowter, a young adult with down syndrome, gave this powerful and moving testament in defense of the value of her own life.

Jesse Jackson, once pro-life, powerfully said in 1977 that: “Psychiatrists, social workers and doctors often argue for abortion on the basis that the child will grow up mentally and emotionally scarred. But who of us is complete? If incompleteness were the criteri(on) for taking life, we would all be dead. If you can justify abortion on the basis of emotional incompleteness, then your logic could also lead you to killing for other forms of incompleteness — blindness, crippleness, old age.”

Unfortunately, this statement turned out to be all too prescient. Our society has increasingly devalued life and systematically sought to expand the taking of life for a variety of insufficient reasons. As the Catholic Bishops stated, all life is equal before the eyes of the Lord. I hope our legislators, many of whom often claim the title of pro-life with pride around election season, can hear these cries of injustice and can move swiftly in support of this legislation.

For many, the idea of a road trip induces a strong sense of nostalgia, a beckoning to a begotten era in which one jumped into the family vehicle and pushed out on an adventure. 

If nothing else, many will recall visions of Clark Griswold strapping up the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and heading out on that quixotic quest for Walley World. Amidst the current coronavirus crisis and rising concerns over air travel which will take months, if not years to subside, we might just be on the precipice of a revival of the great American road trip.

A recent Harris Poll noted that 77 percent of women and 62 percent of men are currently unwilling to travel on an airplane. These concerns do not disappear as soon as society is given the all clear on this outbreak. Only 15 percent of Americans say they’d be willing to fly in the month after officials signal that the coronavirus pandemic is on the downturn. Still, only 49 percent of Americans think they might be willing to fly after six months of being cleared of coronavirus concerns. 

While this data suggests troubles for the airline industry, it presents opportunity for others as Americans will continue to find ways to get to family for holidays and use vacation time.

It is the road trip’s time to shine. Americans already preferred the idea, with 73 percent saying they would prefer to drive somewhere over taking a train or a flight, if possible, according to a OnePoll study from last year. However, new trepidations over flying in the coronavirus era added to the existing concerns of long security processes and lack of comfort now makes driving an even more attractive option by comparison.

The current worries over flying may even change the current trajectory of travel decisions for an entire generation. Furthermore, new technology such as AirBnB has made it all the easier for people to travel, and to do so on a budget. There’s an app for everything these days including trails at national parks, geocaching destinations, and maps custom-made for road trippers. 

Young people today are driving at far lower rates than previous generations, but this crisis coupled with the rising potential for technology integration into the modern road trip may force an alteration in that data.

The road trip itself is something of an American icon, each one a Jack Kerouac-inspired tale. Perhaps it is the liberty of the open road or the sense of destiny in the journey, but to cross this American landscape is to partake in a tradition that our forefathers began years ago. 

From Lewis and Clarke to the Oregon Trail, ingrained into our very psyche as a society is a call to head into the relative unknown. While the wilderness of the American heartland and West has been all but tamed today, the call has still perforated through to this century.

Whether it’s a trip with family, friends, or anybody in between, the love of the game that is travel is one that has bound Americans for years. Countless epic American novels, films, and songs have been inspired by just such journeys. Whether one’s heading home via country roads or just traveling with Charlie, American popular culture is deeply defined by tales of traversing the open road.

Robert Louis Stevenson once said that he travels “not to go anywhere but to go,” he travels “for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Indeed, a road trip necessitates a destination, but only in the loosest sense. The true grandeur of the travel is that experience which is found on the journey itself.

Like a religious ritual, the road trip mandates a special set of procedures that necessitate strict observance. The driver, in perhaps the most important role, sets the pace of the trip and ultimately controls the journey. The occupant of “shotgun” takes charge of navigation and music. Other passengers ensure energy supplies remain high by taking command of snack acquisition from the gas stations and keep out keen eyes for any particularly noteworthy local destinations that are deserving of a detour.

As the pandemic turns much of society on its head, including travel, a chance has emerged for the revival of a quintessential aspect of American society, the road trip. As people increasingly turn to alternative means of travel over the coming months and years, only time will tell how our popular culture will be newly shaped by the future travelers of the open road.

There’s a subtle beauty to be found in this potential revival. As technology changes societal habits in new and profound ways, it is wonderful to imagine that we too might be able to pass onto our children and grandchildren that relic of ages past, the love of the open road, just as our parents passed it on to us.

Two months after youth baseball was put on hold in Brandon, the sounds and smells of young boys and girls hitting the diamond returned last night. Even if it’s in a slightly altered form. 

But for kids like our five-year old who had just one practice in his first year of organized baseball before the fields at Shiloh Park were closed, he couldn’t tell the difference. With his cleats laced up, bat bag packed, and Gatorade bottle filled, he was ready to field grounders, hit the ball, and run the bases. 

For kids who have been out of school since March and haven’t been able to attend other public gatherings, this was a chance to get out. To run around. To burn off energy. And just to do something normal. Even if that meant putting the glove on the wrong hand. Or running to third base. Or every kid chasing after the ball regardless of the position that were playing and where the ball went. Because that’s what you do when you’re five. That’s normal. 

There were high-fives and fist bumps, even if that is frowned upon these days. The dugout was roped off, but since the caution tape was higher than the kids, they likely didn’t notice and walked in just fine to put their bags down. But they didn’t spend much time in the dugout. No, last night was meant for being a kid. For the first time in a while. And that just felt good. 

I know it did for the parents. Though I can only speak for one parent. 

At the end of the night, it was just practice. There are no uniforms yet. Since capacity is limited to 20, there are no games yet. The hope is that will come next month and the season that normally runs from March through May will now run from May through July, if everything goes as planned. 

I’m ready for Major League Baseball to return, as seems likely at this point. But I’m even more excited for another season of the memories from youth baseball, for the kids, and for us parents.

As the coronavirus pandemic is reaching its climax, Mississippi families are struggling to get by. Despite efforts from both the state and federal government to revive and reopen Mississippi’s economy, relief cannot come quick enough, especially for new and expecting mothers.

Mothers across the state are experiencing the financial difficulty surrounding unemployment while, simultaneously, trying to raise a family. 

Many are single mothers, and some are without the support of family or friends. At first glance, the great personal responsibility of raising a child may seem too difficult a circumstance to possibly bear. However, there are organizations available to help situations such as this in times of crisis.

For example, the Students for Life of America chapter at the University of Mississippi have created an ingenious solution to help new and expecting mothers during the COVID-19 crisis. This group of students at Ole Miss are so passionate about what they advocate that they have created a campus initiative in coalition with their local pregnancy resource center, the Pregnancy Center of Oxford. The initiative is called, “Mother’s Day Project: Baby Registry.”

The registry, which is located on Amazon.com, allows individuals to purchase much needed supplies such as bottles, diapers, clothing, baby wipes, and other essential items for parenting. The purchased items will be delivered directly to restock the Pregnancy Center of Oxford. The goal of this initiative is to support pregnant and parenting mothers for Mother's Day.

New and expecting mothers visit the Pregnancy Center of Oxford year-round to receive items such as those being purchased from the Ole Miss Students for Life baby registry. Mothers can also receive training, counseling, and information about prenatal development, adoption, and contraceptive methods in addition to having access to lab quality pregnancy tests, ultrasound equipment, and referrals to medical professionals.  

All services provided by them are always confidential and free of charge. As a non-profit organization, they rely on donations and volunteer efforts from the surrounding community and on those organizations similar to Students for Life of America. 

The Students for Life of America is a national organization whose purpose is to recruit, train, and mobilize the pro-life generation to abolish abortion. Chapters are established on college campuses across the country and serve to educate other young people about the violence of abortion, create new pro-lifers, and transform campuses into places that support pregnant and parenting women.  

The pro-life movement was sparked at the University of Mississippi campus following the murder of an Ole Miss student, Ally Kostial, in 2019. Kostial was reportedly with child at the time of her murder and had intentions of carrying to term.  

Thanks to organizations like the Ole Miss Students for Life and the Pregnancy Center of Oxford, new or expecting mothers in and around Lafayette County will have some relief during the COVID-19 pandemic especially as Mother’s Day approaches. The initiative will be ongoing until Mother’s Day, May 10. Donations to the baby registry may be made online by searching “Mother’s Project and Pregnancy Oxford” under Amazon’s Baby Registry tab.  

The Pregnancy Center of Oxford and the Ole Miss Students for Life can be reached respectively at [email protected] and [email protected].

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