La. Lawmakers Ban Late-Term Abortions

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

La. Lawmakers Ban Late-Term Abortions

By DOUG SIMPSON Associated Press Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. Jun 26, 2007 (AP)

The Louisiana Legislature approved a ban on a late-term
abortion procedure Tuesday, the first state to do so since
the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal ban earlier this year.

The House voted unanimously to approve a measure that would
allow the procedure that anti-abortion activists call "partial
birth" abortions only when failure to perform it would endanger
the mother's life. The procedure would be a crime in all other
cases, including situations where the pregnancy is expected to
cause health problems for the mother.

The measure goes to Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who describes herself
as anti-abortion but has not indicated whether she plans to sign
the bill.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Gary Beard, would create
fines of between $1,000 and $10,000 and jail terms of one to
10 years for doctors who perform the surgery. The measure
matches the federal ban that President Bush signed into law
in 2003, upheld in April by the U.S. Supreme Court.

-snip-


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3319238

[MuseRider]

1. Kansas is next

they are working on the same thing here now. Bastards.

[JerseygirlCT]

6. Yup, and next time someone wants to insist that we're

crazy to say this is an important issue, perhaps we can suggest that WE get to determine all their medical decisions from now on.

[uppityperson]

2. They banned a procedure, meaning other ones are still legal?

I hate the chipping away of the rights of a doctor and a woman to decide on the best type of care. I hate this chipping away at women's rights, making a procedure illegal. That said, and while I in no way agree with this being made illegal, doesn't this just ban that procedure?

[bliss_eternal]

4. Here's what I could find out on naral's site...

Lawmakers approve abortion ban
Posted by Capital bureau June 25, 2007 12:00PM
By Bill Barrow
Capital Bureau

BATON ROUGE -- Legislation that won nearly unanimous approval in the Louisiana House of Representatives on Monday would make the state the first to pass its own ban on a controversial late-term abortion procedure since a recent U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of such laws.

The 99-1 vote sends Senate Bill 161, sponsored by Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, to a compromise committee of representatives and senators to settle minor differences over House language and the version the Senate adopted unanimously earlier this session. The bill would ban the procedure called "partial-birth abortion" by opponents and medically known medically as "intact dilation and evacuation."

-------------snip---------------------
taken from:
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/06/lawmakers_approve_abortion_ban.html

Here's Louisiana's "choice" profile from Naral:

Louisiana

Political Info and Laws in Brief

Executives
Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) is anti-choice.
Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (D) is mixed-choice.
Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr. (D) is anti-choice.


Legislature
The Louisiana House is anti-choice.
The Louisiana Senate is anti-choice.


Major Political Party Platforms
The Louisiana Democratic Party supports a woman's right to choose.
The Louisiana Republican Party opposes a woman's right to choose.
ANTI-CHOICE LAWS
Abortion Bans
Louisiana has unconstitutional and unenforceable criminal bans on abortion.
Details »

Biased Counseling & Mandatory Delay
Louisiana law subjects women seeking abortions to biased counseling requirements and mandatory delays.
Details »

Counseling Ban/Gag Rule
Louisiana prohibits certain state employees or organizations receiving state funds from referring for abortion services.
Details »

-----------------------------smip---------------------------------

for more details:
http://www.naral.org/choice-action-center/in_your_state/who-decides/state-profiles/louisiana.html

[bluestateguy]

3. And they will enforce this bill, how?

I mean, really, I;d like to know how they will actually enforce the law.

[JerseygirlCT]

5. I suspect they're hoping this will spur a SC challenge, and now that

the court is packed with radical rwers...

So easy to be cavalier with a woman's health.

[Kool Kitty]

7. Of course it's easy to be cavalier with women's health,

we're JUST women, after all. And we're just supposed to make babies. :sarcasm:

[fortyfeetunder]

8. Are LA legislators bored?

They got too much time on their hands, they have to worry about women's bodies? Gee, I thought they had some hurricane clean up to finish before the next season....

[BushOut06]

9. I wonder how many men voted to ban these procedures?

That's awful fucking nice of them, to vote against something that they can never possibly need.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. surely this is a medical decision and a personal decision not a politician's