Senate also approves four other pro-life bills on Monday
Editor’s note. This is an update of a post from Louisiana Right to Life that was distributed Monday. On Tuesday, the House agreed to changes made by the Senate to the Abortion Pill Reversal Disclosure Act, HB 578, authored by Rep. Beryl Amedee (R-Houma) and carried by Sen. Beth Mizell (R-Franklinton). The vote was 69—25. HB 578 now heads to Gov. John Bel Edwards.
As Louisiana Right to Life explained, on Monday the Senate also passed four other bills they support.
BATON ROUGE–As amended, HB 578 informs women who have taken the first pill in a chemical abortion that, if they regret their decision, there may be options available to sustain their pregnancy and they should contact their physician immediately. Sen. Mizell’s Senate floor amendment also removed a committee amendment that would have rendered the bill ineffective. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being sent to the Governor’s desk.
Following passage of the bill, Mizell said, “I led the Abortion Pill Reversal Disclosure Act on the Senate floor because I want women who regret their abortion to check with their doctor to see if they can save their baby. Every life is precious, and I want to help every woman get the life-saving information they need.”
Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper added: “I applaud the Louisiana Senate for its strong pro-life stand today, especially for voting for the Abortion Pill Reversal Disclosure Act. Sen. Beth Mizell was a true pro-life champion as she led the bill on the Senate floor. We now encourage Gov. John Bel Edwards to sign HB 578 into law and give women who regret their abortion a glimmer of hope to save their baby.”
Louisiana Right to Life also supported the following legislation that passed the Senate Monday:
- H.B. 218 by Rep. Mike Huval (R-Breaux Bridge) allows newborn safety devices (aka “Safe Haven Baby Boxes”) to be installed in hospitals. Safe Haven Baby Boxes are a last-resort resource for mothers to safely surrender their infant up to 60 days of age in a completely anonymous manner. While the traditional person-to-person Safe Haven relinquishment is preferred, the Baby Box provides women a discreet option instead of abandoning her baby in a manner dangerous for the child. Once the child has been placed in the box, medical personnel are immediately notified and medical care is provided to the child before the baby is placed for adoption by DCFS.
- H.B. 423 by Rep. Julie Emerson (R-Carencro) is an important bill that provides data on the frequency of abortion complications that are treated at a local hospital. Since most complications that arise after an abortion are treated by a local hospital instead of an outpatient abortion facility, this legislation is critical to ensure that the state has better data on the rate of complications from abortion.
- H.B. 7 by Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman (D-New Orleans) exempts the purchase of diapers and feminine products from state sales tax. Louisiana Right to Life supported HB 7 because it provides assistance to families as they raise their children and to pro-life ministries as they purchase diapers to provide to mothers.
- HB 357 by Rep. Raymond Crews (R-Shreveport) limits the jurisdiction of a judicial bypass (an exception to parental consent that allows minors to get abortions through a judge’s determination). This law will make the judicial bypass process go through a judge in the minor’s civil parish (with some exceptions) instead of having the option to go to the judge in the civil parish where the abortion facility operates. HB 357 also collects important data on minors having abortion after receiving a judicial bypass.
For more information and updates on all bills supported this session by Louisiana Right to Life, click here.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
