BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's Democratic governor has signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy, a move that has provoked anger from members of his own party.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the measure Thursday, making Louisiana the fifth state to enact such a law, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama's gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

The new law will outlaw abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can come before a woman knows she's pregnant. The law doesn't contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

Louisiana's law won't limit the state's three abortion clinics anytime soon. It takes effect only if Mississippi's law is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Edwards didn't hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office. </s> Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says he plans to sign a fetal-heartbeat bill passed by the state legislature, breaking with the Democratic Party on the pivotal abortion issue.

Shortly after legislators gave final passage to Senate Bill 184, the Democratic governor reminded voters that he has never made any secret of his abortion views, running in 2015 “as a pro-life candidate after serving as a pro-life legislator for eight years.”

“I know there are many who feel just as strongly as I do on abortion and disagree with me — and I respect their opinions,” said Mr. Bel Edwards in a Wednesday statement.

With his signature, Louisiana would join a dozen red states in passing tough new restrictions this year on abortion access, many of them aimed at challenging the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as the court grows more conservative.

Republican governors in four states have signed into law fetal heartbeat bills, which prohibit most abortions after about six weeks’ gestation, or after the time in which a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Such laws in Kentucky and Mississippi have already been blocked by judges pending court battles.

Other states expanding abortion restrictions include Missouri, which approved a ban on most abortions after eight weeks’ pregnancy, and Alabama, which passed a two-week ban, the most restrictive in the nation.

Mr. Bel Edwards would apparently become the first Democrat to sign a fetal-heartbeat bill. In 2013, such legislation became law in Arkansas after the Republican legislature overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe.

The Arkansas law was overturned the following year in federal court.

Red-state Louisiana has a history of bipartisan support for pro-life legislation. In 2006, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed a “trigger” bill, which would outlaw most abortions if Roe is overturned.

The Louisiana bill, which won House approval Wednesday on a bipartisan 79-23 vote, calls for doctors who violate the law to face criminal penalties and risk losing their medical license.

The bill includes no exceptions for rape or incest, but does allow abortions to “prevent the death of a pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”

The Louisiana bill would only become law if Roe is overturned or if the Mississippi fetal-heartbeat measure is deemed constitutional.

Alanah Odoms Hebert, ACLU of Louisiana executive director, condemned the “abortion ban,” calling it “part of a concerted national effort to criminalize abortion.”

“After years of attacks on abortion access, Louisiana politicians have now sunk to a new low with an extreme ban that would outlaw abortion before many women know they are pregnant,” she said.

Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper commended the state legislature after passage of the House bill.

“Abortion stops the beating heart of a precious unborn child, and our nation must bring an end to this injustice,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to Governor John Bel Edwards signing this bill into law.” </s> Louisiana’s Democratic governor signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy Thursday, a move that puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern states while provoking anger from members of his own party.

With his signature, Gov. John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama’s gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

Louisiana’s law doesn’t contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

The bill’s signing, however, won’t limit the state’s three abortion clinics anytime soon. Louisiana’s law takes effect only if the law in neighboring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Edwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, didn’t hold a public bill signing or issue a statement about it, instead announcing his action through his office. He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of the people in his conservative, religious state.

“This is an issue I’ve been consistent on forever. I am pro-life,” he said earlier this month on his radio show, when asked about the bill.

Louisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.

Lawmakers in conservative states across the nation are striking at the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally. Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn Roe.

None of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.

Opponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realize they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections. Several hundred pink-clad Planned Parenthood supporters filled the Louisiana Capitol to protest the ban ahead of Thursday’s bill signing.

“The unprecedented and extreme attacks on abortion we’re seeing across the country, including here in Louisiana, are dangerous to patient health and wellbeing,” Petrice Sams-Abiodun, with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said in a statement.

Louisiana’s law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman’s death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” — or if the pregnancy is deemed “medically futile.” But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimized.

Under the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation.

The abortion-rights debates that divide state Capitols across the nation cause fewer ripples in the Louisiana Legislature. It is one of the country’s most staunchly anti-abortion states, with a law on the books that immediately outlaws abortion if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned.

Louisiana’s latest abortion ban won support from many Democrats and was sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Milkovich. And the governor won some GOP praise for his position.

“While Gov. Edwards and I disagree on a lot of things, I’m proud that he stands for life,” Republican Rep. Julie Emerson said.

Although Edwards is a rarity in the national Democratic Party, he ran as an anti-abortion candidate. In his 2015 campaign, Edwards had a prominent TV ad that showed his wife, Donna, describing being advised to have an abortion because of their daughter’s spinal birth defect. The Edwardses refused, and the ad showed a grown-up Samantha.

The bill signing by Edwards, who faces two Republicans on the ballot this fall, is expected to help shore up his position with some voters at home, even if it puts him at odds with national Democratic Party leaders and donors.

Still, the governor faced an outcry of anger on social media from Democrats who objected to his support for the abortion ban.

The chair of Louisiana’s Democratic Party, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, has been regularly slamming the bill. She’s posted opposition messages on Twitter, including after the bill signing: “Embarrassing! Apologies to LA women, particularly for the disrespect to women victimized by rape or incest.” But she hasn’t directly criticized Edwards by name, and the party is supporting him for reelection. </s> Louisiana’s Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, will be signing the state’s fetal heartbeat bill into law, marking a significant break from the Democratic Party on the subject of abortion.

The heartbeat bill is similar to others that have recently passed throughout the country. It ultimately bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks. This bill does not include exceptions for cases of rape and incest.

“Even though I know there are horrible crimes that are committed with rape and incest.… The child should not be killed and terminated because of the crime of the father,” said state Representative Valarie Hodges, who carried Senate Bill 184 in the House.

Governor Edwards has been a vocal supporter of pro-life legislation, ABC News reports. Following the state’s passage of the heartbeat bill on Wednesday, Edwards released a statement defending his decision to sign the bill.

"As I prepare to sign this bill, I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for it to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone," Edwards said in a statement Wednesday.

Edwards reminded his constituents of his progressive record but reiterated that he ran as a pro-life candidate in 2015. Edwards defended his pro-life position by noting that his more liberal stances on Medicaid expansion, criminal justice reforms, and LGBTQ discrimination protections stem from his pro-life position.

The bill’s sponsor, State Senator John Milkovich, a Shreveport Democrat, defended the bill against accusations that it is unconstitutional.

“God values human life, and so do the people of Louisiana,” Milkovich said this month. “We believe this is an important step in dismantling the attack of the abortion cartel on our next generation.”

The New York Times notes that it is extremely rare for Democrats to take such strong pro-life positions. The Times writes,

In the 1990s, the party agreed that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare,” a slogan that has long since fallen from use. Today, Democrats rarely take public positions against any kind of abortion access and Republicans rarely take them in support. Louisiana has been an anomaly.

But as observed by Governor Edwards, Louisianans are “overwhelmingly pro-life.”

“I am so proud of Louisiana and the Democrats there and John Bel Edwards,” said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. “He’s the only governor like this.”

It is likely that the law will be challenged immediately, as has been the case in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio. It’s unclear whether these laws will have a chance of surviving legal challenges, as Mississippi’s heartbeat bill was temporarily blocked from going into effect on July 1 by a federal court last week.

“Here we go again," U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves wrote in his opinion. “Mississippi has passed another law banning abortions prior to viability.” Reeves claimed that the law “prevents a woman’s free choice, which is central to personal dignity and autonomy.”

As noted by the Times, Louisiana’s heartbeat law is not enforceable until a federal appellate court rules on Mississippi’s law.

States have been taking a stand against abortion laws recently, seemingly in response to New York’s pro-abortion law passed in January that virtually allows abortions at any time during gestation, up to birth. In addition to the heartbeat laws passed in the aforementioned states, Alabama has passed a bill that criminalizes abortions, and Utah and Arkansas have both passed laws that would ban the most common form of second-trimester abortions.

Louisiana’s legislature is also working on a constitutional amendment that will ask the state’s voters to vote on whether the state should ban abortion outright in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. According to The Advocate, Louisiana’s House has sent the bill, sponsored by Democratic Representative Katrina Jackson, to a conference committee where the language will be finalized before an expected vote to place it on the October 12 ballots.

Pro-life champions are hopeful that Roe v. Wade may be overturned now that Justice Brett Kavanaugh has joined the Supreme Court. There seems to be a race to see which measure may make it to the Supreme Court and provide the opportunity to achieve lasting change against an institution that has claimed the lives of 61 million babies since Roe v. Wade. </s> Louisiana’s Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party

(AP) — Louisiana’s Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Louisiana's Democratic governor signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy Thursday. The move puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern states while provoking anger from members of his own party.

With his signature, Gov. John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama's gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

Louisiana's law doesn't contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

The bill's signing, however, won't limit the state's three abortion clinics anytime soon. Louisiana's law takes effect only if the law in neighboring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge, is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Edwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, didn't hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office. He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of people in his conservative, religious state, who he described as "overwhelmingly pro-life."

Louisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.

Lawmakers in conservative states across the nation are striking at the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally. Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn Roe.

None of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.

Opponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realize they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections.

Louisiana's law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman's death or "a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" — or if the pregnancy is deemed "medically futile." But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimized.

Under the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation.

Louisiana is one of the country's most staunchly anti-abortion states, with a law on the books that immediately outlaws abortion if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. State lawmakers annually enact new regulations seeking to curb access with bipartisan support.

Louisiana's latest abortion ban won support from many Democrats and was sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Milkovich, from northwest Louisiana.

Although Edwards is rarity in the national Democratic Party, he's consistently run as an anti-abortion candidate. When he ran for governor in 2015, his campaign had a prominent TV ad that showed his wife, Donna, describing being advised to have an abortion because of their daughter's spinal birth defect. The Edwardses refused, and the ad showed a grown-up Samantha.

The bill signing from Edwards, who faces two Republicans on the ballot this fall, is expected to help shore up his position with some voters at home, even if it puts him at odds with national Democratic Party leaders and donors.

Still, the governor faced an outcry of anger on social media from Democrats who objected to his support for the abortion ban.

The chair of Louisiana's Democratic Party, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, has been regularly slamming the bill. She's posted opposition messages on Twitter, such as: "Roe vs. Wade should be respected not undermined! Right to privacy!" But she hasn't directly criticized Edwards by name, and the party is supporting him for reelection. </s> Louisiana’s Democratic governor has signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy, a move that puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern US states while provoking anger from members of his own party.

With his signature, Governor John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia.

Alabama’s gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

Louisiana’s law does not contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

The bill’s signing, however, will limit the state’s three abortion clinics anytime soon.

Louisiana’s law takes effect only if the law in neighbouring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge, is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Mr Edwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, did not hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office.

He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of people in his conservative, religious state, who he described as “overwhelmingly pro-life”.

Louisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.

Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn the US Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion nationally.

None of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.

Opponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realise they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections.

Several hundred pink-clad Planned Parenthood supporters filled the Louisiana Capitol to protest against the ban ahead of the bill signing.

“The unprecedented and extreme attacks on abortion we’re seeing across the country, including here in Louisiana, are dangerous to patient health and wellbeing,” Petrice Sams-Abiodun, with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said in a statement.

Louisiana’s law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman’s death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” — or if the pregnancy is deemed “medically futile”.

But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimised.

Under the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation. </s> Louisiana’s state legislature on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a so-called “heartbeat” pro-life bill, becoming the latest in a slew of states to enact strict new restrictions on abortion that many conservatives have hoped will end with the Supreme Court revisiting its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The bill, which cleared the Louisiana House by a 79-23 vote, requires an ultrasound to be conducted prior to any abortion procedure being performed. If a heartbeat is detected, the bill bans abortion unless, under penalty of perjury, the abortion provider declares the procedure necessary “to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.”

The bill also includes an exemption in the case that a physician certifies that the “unborn child has a profound and irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly that is incompatible with sustaining life after birth.” The text does not include an exception for rape or incest, but includes penalties only for abortion providers — not women seeking abortions.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, has said he will buck the national party establishment and sign the measure into law. Another Democrat, state Sen. John Milkovich, sponsored the bill — underscoring the deep pro-life culture in Louisiana, even among liberal politicians.

In a statement posted on Twitter shortly after the vote, Edwards emphasized that “being pro-life means more than just being pro-birth,” touted his criminal justice reform and foster care initiatives, and vowed to sign the bill into law.

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have enacted similar heartbeat bills, while Missouri lawmakers approved an eight-week ban on abortion. Alabama has gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

None of the bans has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges.

NETFLIX THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF GEORGIA OVER HEARTBEAT BILL — HERE’S WHY IT WON’T

Louisiana’s prohibition would take hold only if neighboring Mississippi’s law is upheld by a federal appeals court. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Mississippi law Friday.

In that respect, the new law is somewhat similar to a 2006 “trigger law,” signed into law by then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat. That law effectively would ban all abortions, except where the mother’s health is in jeopardy, immediately if the Supreme Court ever reversed Roe, the seminal case that established a constitutional right to privacy and prescribed a limited right to an abortion that the high court has later refined.

On Tuesday, in a 20-page concurring opinion in an abortion-related case on fetal remains, Justice Clarence Thomas previewed what is likely to become an all-out legislative and judicial brawl over the topic in the coming years.

Thomas openly likened abortion to birth control and eugenics, citing the statistics of minorities affected by abortion, and argued that the dissenting opinion by liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “makes little sense.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Given the potential for abortion to become a tool of eugenic manipulation,” Thomas wrote, “the court will soon need to confront the constitutionality of laws like Indiana’s.”

Ginsburg shot back that one of Thomas’ footnotes “displays more heat than light.” </s> Louisiana's Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signs a heartbeat bill that bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The law’s effective date is tied to a similar Mississippi law which has already been temporarily blocked by a federal court.