The owner of the state's only abortion clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization, filed suit immediately after Bryant signed the bill, claiming it is unconstitutional.

The bill would prohibit cities and institutions of higher learning from declaring themselves sanctuary cities. There are currently no sanctuary cities in the state, although the city of Jackson proposed such a declaration last year.

In the midst of controversial court cases and their reverberations in Mississippi, Bishop Kopacz says: "People of faith are called to be active in the political process — to protect the dignity of each human being and to make our communities stronger overall."