Staff Reports
In Louisiana, a legislative committee with mostly Republican members turned down a bill on Tuesday that would have made exceptions for abortions in cases of rape and incest. The state already has strict laws against abortions, and this bill was an attempt to add some exceptions to those rules.
Last year, a similar bill also didn’t pass the committee. This time, the bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Delisha Boyd, tried to add an amendment that would only apply the exceptions to those under 17 years old. However, this change didn’t convince enough people to vote for the bill.
Louisiana lawmakers reject adding exceptions of rape and incest to abortion ban https://t.co/20dPbDnCpg
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 8, 2024
Democratic state Rep. Alonzo Knox urged the committee to approve the exceptions, saying that it’s important to protect children who have been victims of rape and incest. He even said, “I’m begging now,” showing just how much he believed in this cause. But, the bill still didn’t pass.
Republican state Rep. Dodie Horton, who voted against the bill, said that while she thinks rapists should be severely punished, she can’t support abortions. She called the fetuses “innocent children.”
The state’s abortion law, which started in 2022 and only allows exceptions when the mother’s life is in danger or the fetus has severe abnormalities, has faced opposition from Democrats who want to make changes to the law. However, their attempts have been unsuccessful.
Many people spoke out about their experiences during the hearing for the bill, including doctors and rape survivors. OB-GYN Dr. Neelima Sukhavasi shared that she and her colleagues have delivered babies from teenagers who were victims of rape ever since the abortion ban started.
The original article contains statistics about the number of abortions in Louisiana and nationwide, as well as a study about pregnancies resulting from rape in states with strict abortion laws. If this article is based on reliable information, it is likely that both Republicans and Democrats have strong beliefs about this issue.
