Bill 813 of the House of Representatives, introduced by Republican State Secretary Danny McCormick, would redefine a person to include an unborn child from the “moment of fertilization”. The proposal has drawn widespread condemnation, including from anti-abortion groups in the state such as Louisiana’s Right to Life, as their “long-standing policy is that women vulnerable to abortion should not be treated as criminals.” An amendment Thursday by state Republican Alan Seabo deleted the language of McCormick’s bill and replaced it with a language similar to another bill, Senate Bill 342, which passed the U.S. Senate last week.
The amendment was passed by the State House with 65 to 26 votes, making the House bill virtually dead, Seabo said. The Senate’s version will be heard by a House committee next week, he added.
The amended bill will not ban contraception, criminalize any aspect of in vitro fertilization or impose any criminal sanctions on pregnant women.
Speaking in the House of Representatives, Seabo said the bill originally presented had “a number of problems” and noted the Supreme Court’s draft opinion released last week by Politico, which would overturn Rowe v. Wade.
“We are on the brink of the most significant victory in favor of life in this country in 50 years. We need to celebrate together, embracing each other as brothers in Christ, “he said. “We should not hold each other because of a bill that is clearly unconstitutional, makes women criminals, will not prevent any abortion and, as far as I can tell, was presented only to give a platform to a few misguided people.”
When the bill was passed by the committee in a 7-2 vote last week, state anti-abortion groups voiced opposition, including the right to live in Louisiana, saying the law was “incompatible with its mission to protect mothers and babies.” And on Thursday, leading national anti-abortion groups wrote an open letter calling on states to reject legislation that criminalizes women for abortion.
Gov. John Bell Edwards, a rare anti-abortion Democrat, also spoke out against the bill this week, calling it “radical.”
“In addition to the fact that this legislation is clearly unconstitutional, this bill will criminalize the use of certain types of contraception, as well as parts of the in vitro fertilization process, and may even serve as a barrier to life-saving medical treatment. for a woman suffering from miscarriage, “Edwards said in a statement.” To assume that a woman will be imprisoned for abortion is simply absurd. ”
Following Thursday’s vote, Louisiana Right to Life said it did not expect the legislature to consider HB 813 later this session.
“Now that HB 813 is behind us, we look forward to returning to our work of preparing for the repeal of the Roe v. Wade and provide additional resources for alternatives to abortion in Louisiana, “said Benjamin Clapper, the group’s chief executive, in a news release. abortion procedure or to provide drugs designed to induce abortion in the event that Rowe v. Wade is revoked.
CNN’s Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.
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