Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 41 - PUBLIC HEALTH (§§ 41-1-1 — 41-149-NEW-003) › Chapter 41 - SURGICAL OR MEDICAL PROCEDURES; CONSENTS (§§ 41-41-1 — 41-41-NEW-008) › LIFE EQUALITY ACT OF 2020 (§§ 41-41-401 — 41-41-NEW-008) › Section 41-41-419 - Severability

(1)
It is the intent of the Legislature that every provision of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
shall operate with equal force and shall be severable one from the other and that, in the event that any provision of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
shall be held invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the provision shall be severable and the remaining provisions of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
shall be fully enforceable.
(2)
In the event that any provision of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
shall be held invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the other sections shall remain in effect. If some or all of the provisions of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
are ever temporarily or permanently restrained or enjoined by judicial order, all other provisions of Mississippi law regulating or restricting abortion shall be enforced as though the restrained or enjoined provisions had not been adopted; however, whenever the temporary or permanent restraining order or injunction is stayed or dissolved, or otherwise ceases to have effect, the provisions of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
shall have full force and effect.
(3)
Mindful of
Leavitt v. Jane L
., 518 U.S. 137 (1996), regarding the context of determining the severability of a state section of law regulating abortion, the United States Supreme Court held that an explicit statement of legislative intent is controlling. Accordingly, it is the intent of the Legislature that every provision, section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or word in Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
and every application of the provisions in Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
is severable from each other. If any application of any provision in Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
to any person, group of persons, or circumstances is found by a competent court to be invalid, the remaining applications of that provision to all other persons and circumstances shall be severed and may not be affected. All constitutionally valid applications of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
shall be severed from any applications that a court finds to be invalid, leaving the valid applications in force, because it is the Legislature's intent and priority that the valid applications be allowed to stand alone. Even if a reviewing court finds a provision of this statute to impose an undue burden in a large or substantial fraction of relevant cases, the applications that do not represent an undue burden shall be severed from the remaining provisions and shall remain in force, and shall be treated as if the Legislature had enacted a section limited to the persons, group of persons, or circumstances for which the section's application does not present an undue burden. The Legislature further declares that it would have passed Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
and each provision, section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or word, and all constitutional applications of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
, without regard to the fact that any provision, section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or word, or applications of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
, were to be declared unconstitutional or to represent an undue burden.
(4)
If Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
are found by any competent court to be invalid or to impose an undue burden as applied to any person, group of persons, or circumstances, the prohibition shall apply to that person or group of persons or circumstances on the earliest date on which this section can be constitutionally applied.
(5)
If any provisions of Sections
41-41-401
through
41-41-419
are found by a competent court to be unconstitutionally vague, then the applications of the provision that do not present constitutional vagueness problems shall be severed and remain in force.
Added by Laws, 2020, ch. 434, HB 1295,§ 10, eff. 7/1/2020.