CONTROVERSIAL ABORTION BILL - Louisiana's House of Representatives is preparing to debate a bill making abortion a homicide and subjecting women who get abortions to criminal prosecution and prison. The bill was introduced in March but it's come under high scrutiny in light of last week's leak of a draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion indicating the high court is preparing to overturn decisions upholding a constitutional right to abortion.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is emphatically opposing legislation that could subject women to prosecution and prison for getting abortions. Edwards, a Democrat-- has long broken from his party to support anti-abortion legislation. But he said the bill by Rep. Danny McCormick, an Oil City Republican, is “anti-woman.” During his appearance at the Baton Rouge Press Club yesterday he elaborated his position by calling House Bill 813: “patently unconstitutional”.
". . . because there is language in the bill that says that no Supreme Court decision, past, present, or future would ever be binding in Louisiana if it was not consistent with this bill; I want you all to think about that," Edwards said.
Edwards said all members of state government have sworn an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. He also said the bill would criminalize some types of contraception and parts of the in-vitro fertilization process. McCormick's bill has also drawn opposition from the anti-abortion organization Louisiana Right to Life, as well as numerous groups supporting abortion rights. The bill is scheduled for House debate today.
