BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana House refused Thursday to add exceptions for rape and incest to pending abortion legislation that would take affect if the Supreme Court allows states to outlaw abortion.
Rep. Cedric Glover's amendment died on a 37-62 vote Thursday as the House debated a Senate-passed bill making various changes to existing anti-abortion laws on the books in Louisiana.
The issue drew new attention after a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion indicated the court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decision that established abortion rights. The bill by Democratic Sen. Katrina Jackson of Monroe, which includes a possible 10-year prison sentence for physicians or others who perform abortions, was awaiting House passage Thursday evening and would need another Senate vote on House language changes.
Like some existing law, it would take effect when and if Roe v. Wade is reversed.
House members approved Senate-passed legislation by Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Slidell Republican, making it more difficult to obtain abortion-inducing drugs. The bill says such drugs must be administered by a licensed physician, in person, outlawing the dispensing of such drugs by mail. The bill, approved 72-24, goes back to the Senate for a vote on House language changes.
The U.S. Supreme Court's official ruling on the challenge to Roe v. Wade is expected to be announced sometime during the court's summer session in June or early July.
