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HB1542 • 2026

Abortion trafficking; create penalties for the crime of.

AN ACT TO CREATE THE CRIME OF ABORTION TRAFFICKING; TO PROHIBIT ANY PERSON FROM TRANSPORTING A PREGNANT UNEMANCIPATED MINOR ACROSS STATE LINES FOR AN ABORTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MINOR'S PARENT OR GUARDIAN; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Abortion Children Crime Parental Rights
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Eubanks, Blackwell, Ford (73rd), Hall, Hurst, Mansell
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and was not signed into law, so there are no further details on enforcement or implementation.

Creating Penalties for Abortion Trafficking

This bill creates a new crime called abortion trafficking and sets penalties for adults who help pregnant minors get abortions across state lines with the consent of their parents or guardians.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines 'abortion trafficking' as helping an unemancipated minor (under 18) to get an abortion outside the state with the intent to hide it from her parents or guardian, even if they have given consent.
  • Makes it illegal for adults to recruit, harbor, or transport a pregnant minor across state lines for an abortion without parental consent.
  • Allows the Mississippi Attorney General to prosecute cases if local prosecutors refuse to do so.
  • Sets fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and prison sentences from 2 to 5 years for those convicted of abortion trafficking.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Adults who help minors get abortions across state lines without parental consent
  • Pregnant unemancipated minors under the age of 18

Terms To Know

Unemancipated minor
A person under 18 years old who is legally under their parents' or guardian's care.
Abortion trafficking
The act of helping a pregnant unemancipated minor get an abortion across state lines with the intent to hide it from her parents or guardian, even if they have given consent.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill did not pass and was not signed into law.
  • It only applies to minors who are not legally independent from their parents or guardians.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/03 (H) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (H) Referred To Judiciary B

Official Summary Text

Abortion trafficking; create penalties for the crime of.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
H. B. No. 1542 *HR31/R328* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR31/R328
PAGE 1 (GT\JAB)

To: Judiciary B
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Eubanks, Blackwell, Ford
(73rd), Hall, Hurst, Mansell

HOUSE BILL NO. 1542

AN ACT TO CREATE THE CRIME OF ABORTION TRAFFICKING; TO 1
PROHIBIT ANY PERSON FROM TRANSPORTING A PREGNANT UNEMANCIPATED 2
MINOR ACROSS STATE LINES FOR AN ABORTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE 3
MINOR'S PARENT OR GUARDIAN; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. (1) For purposes of this act, the following 6
definitions shall apply: 7
(a) "Abortion" means the use of any instrument, 8
medicine, drug or any other substance or device with intent to 9
terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant, with 10
intent other than to increase the probability of a live birth, to 11
preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, or to 12
remove a dead fetus. 13
(b) "Emancipated minor" means any minor who is or has 14
by court order or otherwise been freed from the care, custody and 15
control of her parents or legal guardian; 16
(c) "Minor" means any person under the age of eighteen 17
(18) years; and 18
H. B. No. 1542 *HR31/R328* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR31/R328
PAGE 2 (GT\JAB)

(d) "Unemancipated minor" means any minor who is 19
legally under the care, custody and control of her parents or a 20
legal guardian. 21
(2) An adult who, with the intent to conceal an abortion 22
from the parents or guardian of a pregnant, unemancipated minor, 23
either procures an abortion, as described in, or obtains an 24
abortion inducing drug for the pregnant minor to use for an 25
abortion, by recruiting, harboring, or transporting the pregnant 26
minor within this state or outside this state commits the crime of 27
abortion trafficking. As used in this subsection, the terms 28
"procure" and "obtain" shall not include the providing of 29
information regarding a health benefit plan. 30
(3) It shall be an affirmative defense to a prosecution 31
under this act that a parent or guardian of the pregnant minor 32
consented to trafficking of the minor. 33
(4) It shall not be an affirmative defense to a prosecution 34
under this act that the abortion provider or the abortion inducing 35
drug provider is located in another state. 36
(5) The Mississippi Attorney General has the authority, in 37
his or her sole discretion, to prosecute a person for a criminal 38
violation of this act if the prosecuting attorney authorized to 39
prosecute criminal violations of this act refuses to prosecute 40
violations of any of the provisions of this act by any person 41
without regard to the facts or circumstances. 42
H. B. No. 1542 *HR31/R328* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR31/R328
PAGE 3 (GT\JAB)
ST: Abortion trafficking; create penalties for
the crime of.
(6) Any person who commits the crime of abortion 43
trafficking, as provided in this act, shall be guilty of a felony 44
and, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not less than One 45
Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) nor more than Ten Thousand Dollars 46
($10,000.00), or imprisoned in the custody of the Department of 47
Corrections for no less than two (2) years nor more than five (5) 48
years, or both. 49
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 50
and after July 1, 2026. 51