Louisiana could lead way in banning abortions if Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade thanks to 2006 law
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Conservatives are expecting a nominee who would one day strike down the 1973 ruling, something Trump all but promised on the campaign trail.
"All eyes are on D.C. and the 51-vote majority that's needed (in the
Roe is likely to remain the law of the land for the foreseeable future. An anti-abortion nominee first must win
If the
Act 467 would ban abortions in all cases, except when giving birth would threaten the life of the mother. The bill, which provides no exclusion for pregnancy resulting from rape, passed the House 85-17 and the
If that law did take effect,
"They would not be able to provide abortion care," she said. "We believe in the autonomy, self-determination and moral agency of women in making the best decisions for themselves and their families as it pertains to pregnancy and raising families."
The travel option
"Even right now, transportation and funding are huge obstacles for women seeking abortions," Schilling said, given that some places in rural
Irvin and Schilling used less overheated language than some national commentators who have warned of the potential return to dangerous "back-alley" abortions by unlicensed practitioners.
The potential threat to Roe v. Wade comes amid a long national decline in abortion rates that began around 1981, when the rate was 29.3 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, according to the
National experts credit the drop to education programs and medical advances, including improved intrauterine devices and morning-after pills, which can prevent unwanted pregnancies if taken up to five days after unprotected sex.
The Affordable Care Act, approved by
There were 8,706 abortions in
In 2014, the abortion rate in
Although data on income are hard to come by, state figures show that women who seek abortions in
The number of teenagers who had abortions in 2017 was 818, or nearly 10 percent of the total.
"Restrictions on abortion always fall the most heavily on the vulnerable among us -- women in poverty, frequently women of color," Schilling said. "They already deal with issues of child care, taking time off from work, not being able to tell their partners that they are seeking an abortion."
Growing restrictions
It's no surprise that
Though constrained by Roe,
A devout Catholic, Edwards had a perfect record of voting with a leading anti-abortion group, Louisiana Right to Life, during his eight years as a state House member. His anti-abortion stance helped make him acceptable to conservative voters when he was elected governor in 2015 and became the only Democrat to hold statewide office.
He ran a memorable ad during his campaign in which his wife, Donna, related how a doctor recommended an abortion when they learned their daughter would be born with spina bifida, but she and her husband decided she would give birth to the baby.
Under Jindal in 2014, the Legislature passed a law requiring physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. Pro-abortion rights groups challenged the law in
Under Edwards in 2016, the Legislature prohibited entities that perform abortions from receiving public dollars for other purposes. It was widely seen as targeting
Also under Edwards in 2018, the Legislature passed a measure banning abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. The
Even without overturning Roe, the post-
Nationally, 54 percent of those surveyed want the next
But in
The results are "nearly the mirror opposite of what national surveys show," the survey reported.
Anti-abortion
A striking feature of
The Democratic tent of anti-abortionists includes religious and rural and small-city white politicians, such as Nevers, Blanco and Edwards, as well as some prominent urban black officials, among them state Rep.
"When you're advocating for life, your hope is always that Roe will one day be overturned," said Jackson, who in 2014 sponsored House Bill 388, which required the admitting privileges for doctors.
But Jackson makes a distinction between her views and those of many conservative
Pro-abortion rights groups often point out that despite the state's antipathy toward abortion,
"Women often don't have access to well-women exams or prenatal care," Irvin said. "
But while Irvin and other advocates worry about new challenges for
"I've lived for an abortion-free
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