Louisiana Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards Signs Bill Banning Abortion
Today May 30, 2019 Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana signed into law Senate Bill 184, prohibiting “abortion of unborn human being[s] with [a] detectable heartbeat” (1). The Governor commented on his signing the bill that he “ran for governor as a pro-life candidate… [and he] knows there are many who feel just as strongly as [he does] on abortion and disagree with [him]– and [he] respect[s] their opinions” (2). The bill makes it “unlawful for any person to knowingly perform an abortion with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of an unborn human being when a fetal heartbeat has been detected” (3). The bill provides for one exception where abortion is allowed, specifically “to prevent the death of a pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman” (3). The law will come into effect if the Supreme Court upholds the state’s right to do so or “[a]n amendment to the Constitution… is adopted that restores… the [state’s] authority to prohibit elective abortions” (3).
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