By SARA CLINE (Associated Press)
Even though Democrats and doctors and rape survivors gave emotional testimony, a GOP-controlled legislative committee rejected a bill on Tuesday. The bill would have added cases of rape and incest as exceptions to Louisiana’s abortion ban.
In Louisiana, where even some Democrats oppose abortions, advocates have been battling to add exceptions to the state's strict law. Last year, a similar measure failed. Currently, six of the 14 states with abortion bans have exceptions in cases of rape, and five have exceptions for incest.
Democratic state Rep. Alonzo Knox pleaded with fellow lawmakers to use common sense and approve the exceptions before the vote. However, the bill was rejected 4-7 along party lines.
The same fate befell a nearly identical bill last year, as it died in the same committee. In an effort to advance the legislation to the House floor for full debate, bill sponsor Democratic state Rep. Delisha Boyd added an amendment so that the exceptions would only apply to those who are younger than 17. However, the change did not sway opponents.
Boyd emphasized the need for exceptions by sharing stories of children being forced to carry a child after being raped. She expressed hope that the bill would protect the most vulnerable, the children.
Boyd plans to continue pushing for the bill to be brought to the floor, possibly by asking the House chamber to bypass the committee. However, this technique is rarely successful for Democrats in a Legislature where Republicans hold a supermajority. While most of those who voted against the bill did not explain their vote, GOP state Rep. Dodie Horton expressed her belief that convicted rapists should receive the maximum penalty. She cannot support abortions, describing the fetuses as “innocent children.” “I think we should punish the perpetrator to the nth degree, I’d love to hang them from the high street if it was in my power to do so. But I cannot condone killing the innocent,” Horton said.
Like in other Republican states, Louisiana’s abortion law took effect in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The only exceptions to the ban are in cases of substantial risk of death or impairment to the mother or “medically futile” pregnancies — when the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
Democrats have repeatedly tried to loosen the law by clarifying vague language, eliminating jail time for doctors who perform illegal abortions, and adding exceptions, but they have not succeeded.
Knox expressed disgust at the inability of society to make allowances for a young girl whose innocence was taken in a terrible way and who is now pregnant. She questioned the idea of forcing a 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13-year-old to have a baby for the person who harmed her.
Several individuals, including rape survivors and doctors, testified in support of the bill. Doctors argued that they are limited by the current law.
Dr. Neelima Sukhavasi, an OB-GYN, informed lawmakers that since the abortion ban, she and other doctors have delivered babies of teenagers who were raped.
Sukhavasi mentioned a teenager who delivered a baby while holding a Teddy Bear, describing it as a distressing image that stays with you.
In 2021, there were
7,444 reported abortions
in Louisiana. Among them, 27 were obtained by individuals under 15. Nationwide, 1,338 pregnant patients under 15 received abortions, according to the CDC.
A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that in states with restricted abortion laws, there were more than 64,000 pregnancies resulting from rape between July 2022 and January 2024.
By SARA CLINE (Associated Press) BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Despite pleas from Democrats and gut-wrenching testimony from doctors and rape survivors, a GOP-controlled legislative committee rejected a bill Tuesday that would have added cases of rape and incest as exceptions to Louisiana’s abortion ban. In the reliably red state, which is firmly ensconced in […] more than 64,000 pregnancies resulting from rape in states where abortion has been banned in all or most cases.
