Louisiana advances bill banning abortion from point of fertilization
Global News
The bill grants constitutional rights to "all unborn children from the moment of fertilization" and classifies abortion as a homicide crime.
Louisiana lawmakers have advanced a bill that would abolish abortion in the state, grant constitutional rights to “all unborn children from the moment of fertilization” and classify abortion as a homicide crime.
The move on Wednesday came two days after a leaked draft ruling showed the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The court’s final ruling is expected in June.
The Louisiana bill is one of a raft of proposals by lawmakers in conservative states to restrict access to abortion and a sign of Republicans feeling emboldened by the leaked draft opinion. Such restrictions could go further than the so-called trigger laws, bans and other regulations that will take effect in some 26 states should Roe be overturned.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, this week said she would call for a special legislative session if Roe is overturned to limit abortion to the greatest extent possible. Lawmakers in Nebraska and Indiana also said their states should convene special sessions to consider limiting abortion rights.
The conservative actions come as supporters of abortion rights are moving to expand and protect abortion access in more liberal states, including plans to ask voters in California and Vermont to enshrine abortion rights in their constitutions.
Louisiana state Representative Danny McCormick, a Republican who introduced the “Abolition of Abortion Act” legislation in March, said the impending ruling from the nation’s high court should not delay the state’s efforts to ban abortion access.
“We cannot wait on the Supreme Court,” McCormick said in a hearing on Wednesday.
The legislation, approved in a 7-2 committee vote, now moves to the state’s full House of Representatives for consideration.
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