The Louisiana House on Wednesday voted 83-0 to give final approval to a bill (HB 386) that would extend the state's mandatory delay before an abortion from 24 to 72 hours, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports (Deslatte, AP/Sacramento Bee, 5/11).
The bill now proceeds to Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), who has said he plans to sign the measure (Brooks, Reuters, 5/11).
Background
The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Frank Hoffman (R). The extended delay would not apply to women who live 150 miles or more from their nearest abortion clinic. However, those women would still be required to delay care for at least 24 hours after the initial visit.
Five other states already have 72-hour mandatory delays in place. Overall, 28 states have enacted mandatory delay laws.
Comments
Three abortion-rights advocacy groups released a statement condemning the bill, noting that if it becomes law, it will face a legal challenge (Women's Health Policy Report, 5/4). According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, abortion-rights supporters said the measure imposes an undue burden on women, especially those in rural areas (Ballard, Baton Rouge Advocate, 5/11).
Amanda Allen, senior state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, called on Edwards to veto the measure. "Politicians in Louisiana have made it their mission to restrict access to safe and legal health care -- with women in the state left to pay the price," she said (Reuters, 5/11).
Senate committee advances antiabortion-rights legislation
In related news, the state Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday advanced two antiabortion-rights bills, the Advocate reports (Baton Rouge Advocate, 5/11).
One bill (HB 1081) would ban a medically proven method of abortion. Under the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Johnson (R), the method would be prohibited unless used to prevent a "serious health risk" to the pregnant woman.
A physician who violates the measure could face a $1,000 fine per incident, lose his or her medical license and receive up to two years in prison. Further, a woman who obtained such an abortion and certain other individuals could seek civil damages from the physician (Women's Health Policy Report, 5/2).
The other bill (HB 606), sponsored by Hoffman, would cut Medicaid funding for abortion providers. Specifically, it would ban public funding for any organization in the state that provides abortion care. It includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, life endangerment or "medically futile" pregnancies.
Existing state law already prohibits the use of public funding for most abortion care. The bill would end abortion providers' funding for other services they offer, such as cancer screenings, contraception and wellness exams (Women's Health Policy Report, 4/28).
The bills now proceed to the full state Senate (Baton Rouge Advocate, 5/11).
