( CNN ) -- Mississippi may be the fattest state in the country . And it may be among the least educated and have provided the backdrop to some of the country 's most heinous displays of racism . And you can dismiss its lawmakers as just a bunch of dumb , backwoods hicks if you think that makes for good humor in other parts of the country . But then consider this : It 's possible its legislature has cannily unlocked a way to make abortion illegal without having to overturn Roe v. Wade . The state has instituted a series of unreasonable regulations for doctors who perform abortions . Using a practice very similar to the kind of bottlenecking that was done to suppress black votes during the Jim Crow era , Mississippi has systematically squeezed the number of abortion clinics in the state down to just one . And if a federal court ultimately finds its new regulations constitutional , that one will be gone too . ( Wednesday , a federal judge extended his temporary order to let the clinic stay open ) . In other words , Mississippi , the dumb little state that supposedly could n't , will effectively become the leader in what some call a regressive movement -- though a recent Gallup poll suggests it 's not as out-of-touch as they may think . Fifty percent of Americans identify as pro-life and from 1995 to 2010 , some 600 abortion-related laws have passed on the state level . And it would seem the anti-abortion movement is picking up steam . Within the first six months of 2011 , 162 new anti-abortion provisions were implemented around the country . For those keeping score , that also coincides with the rise of the tea party movement . Coincidence ? Maybe . But when one looks at that astounding spike in the numbers running in tandem with the tea party-led attack on Planned Parenthood that strangled the debt ceiling debate , the likelihood that it 's all just one big coin-ki-dink is a tough sell . And keep in mind that Mississippi , arguably the most conservative state in the country , is not some outlier . A fifth of the nation wants all abortions to be illegal . Only 41 % view themselves as pro-choice , while 52 % believe abortion should only be legal under certain circumstances , such as rape . America continues to struggle with this issue ; it 's small wonder that Mississippi is able to exploit this . My own view lies somewhere in the middle : I 'm against abortion ... so I refuse to have one . Seeing how I 've never had an unwanted or life-threatening pregnancy , I do n't feel equipped to tell complete strangers in those circumstances what they should do with their bodies . I 'd argue that this view is no more absurd than watching four GOP presidential candidates debate the topic of abortion last winter with not one of them using the word `` woman '' in any form . It is also absurd that a female , Democratic lawmaker in Michigan was barred from speaking in the Republican controlled House because that body felt using the word `` vagina '' in a debate about abortion violated decorum . What 's also absurd ? That liberals continue to think they can change the national dialogue about this topic and other controversial issues simply by making fun of stereotypical people from the South . Earlier this year , Nancy Pelosi 's filmmaker daughter , Alexandra , conducted a round of interviews there for HBO 's `` Real Time . '' Some of the comments she came back with , such as that Barack Obama was a `` half-breed , '' were indeed ignorant and did not surprise me at all . But dismissing Mississippi in this abortion debate misses the magnitude of the decision that could end up prevailing . This is n't just about the 20th state in the Union . If the judge eventually lifts the injunction to the law , it may present the blueprint that conservative lawmakers use in the other 49 in an effort to outlaw all abortions . For decades , liberals and conservatives have been fighting to find the answer to this great riddle : Whose rights should take precedence -- the mother 's or that of the unborn child she is carrying ? What Mississippi lawmakers have done is said to hell with the answer , and instead opted to eliminate the riddle all together . You can call it a war on women , you can call it misogyny run amok , you can call it covert theocracy ; it does n't really matter . The end result is this : Reproductive health is about to get a face-lift , whether it wants one or not . Because even if the Mississippi law is ruled unconstitutional ( in 1992 the Supreme Court said no state shall impose laws that places undue burden on women seeking an abortion ) , that wo n't stop copycats in other parts of the country from massaging what the state did in hopes of creating a law that will hold up in the books . Not bad for a state that 's routinely made into a punch line . If the court rules in its favor , I guess we 'll know who has the last laugh . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson .
LZ Granderson : Mississippi ca n't be dismissed in its efforts to restrict abortions . Why ? Because it's a state that has been under the thumb of Republicans for decades, and they've done everything possible to make sure women don't have access to abortion services. LZ : This is a canny way to make abortion illegal ; if upheld , other states may try approach . LZ : Liberals may mock the state , but it may have found a way around Roe v. Wade .