Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signed a bill into law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.
The bill, which was authored by another Democrat — state Sen. John Milkovich — was signed by the governor Wednesday afternoon. The legislation creates criminal penalties for anyone performing an abortion beyond 15 weeks. Mothers of unborn babies would not be charged.
“The farther along the pregnancies the more risks to the mother and the more tortuous it is for the babies,” Milkovich said during hearings on the bill, reports The News-Star.
According to the news report, Dr. Wayne Gravois, a family practice doctor, testified in favor of the bill, stating, “They can yawn, smile, grimace (at 15 weeks). It’s a baby.”
The measure passed overwhelmingly in both chambers of the Louisiana state legislature, 70-9 in the state House and 24-1 in the state Senate.
In March, Mississippi became the first state to ban all abortions past the 15th week. The state’s only abortion clinic immediately challenged the law in court, and a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to keep it from going into effect.
The Louisiana law will go into effect if the Mississippi law is upheld by the courts. full story