Posted on 07/14/2007 4:40:58 PM PDT by shield
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Louisiana became the first American state to outlaw a late-term abortion procedure on Friday, when the governor approved legislation allowing doctors to be prosecuted for performing the surgery.
The new law allows so-called "partial birth" abortions in only one situation: when failure to perform it would endanger the mother's life. The procedure would be a crime in all other cases, even if the pregnancy is expected to cause health problems for the mother.
Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed into law criminal penalties for doctors who perform the surgery: fines of between $1,000 and $10,000, and jail terms of between one and 10 years.
The statute is parallel to a federal ban that President George W. Bush signed into law in 2003, which was upheld in April by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lawmakers in other states are expected to consider similar bans. Louisiana is the first to enact one.
Unlike in many developed countries, where abortion is considered a medical procedure beyond the reach of politics, it remains among the most politically sensitive subjects in the United States, and is likely to be a hotly debated issue through the campaign to the November 2008 U.S. presidential election, especially by conservative Republicans
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Good for her! It’s a start.
too bad it isn’t at a quicker pace, as millions continue to die while we wait.
thanks for the clarification! :o)
CP PING!
Actually, prior to 1973, it was legal in CT, HI, and a few other states.
Prior to 1973, a doctor could legally terminate a pregnancy to save a woman’s life in all fifty states, so abortion was already legal in all the states prior to Roe and Doe.
Thanks...
It is, but IMHO, Roe vs. Wade is tottering. The Supreme Court upheld the partial birth abortion ban, which makes it likely that this law will stand.
If Republicans win the White House and maintain a strong presence in Congress after the 2008 elections, Roe vs. Wade will be on borrowed time.
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