Mississippi deemed key state in abortion fight

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Hundreds of abortion-rights advocates and anti-abortion demonstrators squared off in a contentious rally Saturday with both sides proclaiming Mississippi a new key battleground state in the fight over Roe v. Wade.
The National Organization for Women and other abortion-rights groups gathered at a park in downtown Jackson across from the governor's mansion, vowing to counter an eight-day rally by the national anti-abortion group Operation Save America.
Operation Save America is holding rallies across Jackson in an effort to force the closure of Mississippi's only abortion clinic -- a move NOW and abortion-rights advocates say would chip away at Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortions.
A bomb threat halted the rally, leading to angry exchanges between the groups.
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