WAFB-Donovan Jackson
May 21, 2019
Democrat State
Representative Katrina Jackson spoke at the capitol Tuesday, May 21 about why
she stands with the Senate as they passed House Bill 425, also known as the
Love Life Amendment. The amendment would remove language from the state’s
constitution securing the right to abortion.
“When you stand with
Right to Life, you stand with women. I’m here to say that I’m pro-woman I’m
pro-life because abortions hurt more women than anything else,” said Jackson.
However, some against the bill say denying abortion is a
war on women.
“This is a continued
attack on women’s rights, on women’s bodies. Abortions are a personal issue and
across the country, especially southern states, we’re seeing how it’s just an
attack on women," said Deon Haywood, executive director of Women with a Vision.
Representative Jackson
says their fight is to protect the right to human life. Other female state
legislators join her at the capitol, along with a physician who says she was
almost aborted after her mother was raped.
"I feel like it’s
a wonderful success story about how my mother persevered having been offered an
abortion in 1958, and choosing to give birth to me instead in the midst of her
suffering. You don’t know who you’re killing when you abort babies. It may be a
very crucial person in your life or in your children’s life,” said Dr. Sally
Ball.
Some believe the decision about abortion should be for
the mother to make.
“Each person should be
allowed to make that decision for themselves with their doctor and their
family, and I do not think that other people, including legislature, have a
right to tell women what to do with their bodies,” said Angela Adkins, director
for state chapter of the National Organization for Women.
The Senate passed the bill with 31 to 4 vote.
The Gambit-Kaylee Poche
Apr 24, 2019
Ultimately, the vote was split
between party lines with Sens. Morrell, Peterson, Wesley Bishop and Troy Carter
— all New Orleans Democrats — voting in favor of the amendment. Sens. Jack
Donahue, R-Mandeville; Jim Fannin, R-Jonesboro; and Mike Walsworth, R-West
Monroe, voted against it.
Following the decision, the LA
Ratify ERA Coalition released a statement saying while the passage is “an
important first step” in ratifying the ERA, “it is only the first step, and
there are many more to be taken in the legislative process.”
“Our constitution starts with ‘We
the people,’ and I really just think that should be all the people because if
you are not legislating for all the people, who are you legislating for?” said
the coalition’s founder Angela Adkins. “We piecemeal our rights together every
year at the legislature, and we shouldn’t have to do that.”
The Gambit-Kaylee Poche
April 8, 2019
Activists
supporting the ratification of the decades-old federal Equal Rights Amendment
(ERA) are eyeballing Louisiana to be the final state needed to jump on board,
particularly as the state’s legislative session began Monday.
The
ERA — a constitutional amendment that would grant women the same legal
protections as men — needs one more state’s approval for it to become part of
the U.S. Constitution. HCR2 by state Rep. Robby Carter, D-Amite, would make
Louisiana the 38th state needed for the amendment’s ratification.
“Women
do not have constitutional equality,” pro-ERA activist Angela Adkins said. “The
only guarantee that women have in our Constitution is the right to vote.”
Congress
originally passed the ERA in 1972, sending it to the states for passage. Five
years later, 35 states had ratified the amendment, but a conservative
opposition movement caused any further progress to come to a halt.
The
renewed push nationwide comes nearly 40 years after the ratification deadline
set by Congress, amid the #MeToo movement and Women’s Marches across the
country. Nevada ratified the act in 2017, and Illinois followed in 2018.
Louisiana
is one of 13 states which have not ratified the amendment. Proponents say it
would be a step forward in ending gender workplace discrimination, eliminating
the gender pay gap and decreasing violence against women.
“Including
equality based on sex explicitly as a part of the U.S. Constitution will
highlight, to everyone in Louisiana and our nation, that the fight for women's
rights must continue until these rights are a reality for all of us,” Adkins
said.
Opponents
of the amendment, such as Louisiana Right to Life (LARTL) say it would threaten
the constitutionality of abortion restrictions.
“For
years, pro-abortion groups have used the ERA successfully as a tool to expand
abortion-on-demand and strike down common-sense pro-life laws,” the group said
in a statement.
Some
cite the expired Congressional deadline as another reason the ERA shouldn’t be
ratified, while proponents say Congress only needs to extend or repeal that
deadline.
Other
hurdles include five states that have since rescinded their ratification of the
amendment. It is legally unclear whether a state can take back its ratification
once passed.
The
LA Ratify ERA Coalition, which Adkins founded last summer, will host a lobbying
day at the Capitol Tuesday with the goal of educating lawmakers and the public
about the ERA. The event will include a march to the Capitol beginning at 8
a.m., lunch and lobbying in the rotunda. Adkins said the coalition is expecting
150-200 people to attend.
“The
United States leads the world in policymaking,” Adkins said. “If we set an
example that women are equal, we can change the way that women are treated
around the globe, not just in the United States.”
WAFB-Matt
Houston
January
24, 2019
A 2014 law requiring doctors who
perform abortions to have admitting privileges at local hospitals is set to
take effect Jan. 28 after years of legal hang ups.
The law, authored by Rep. Katrina
Jackson, D-Monroe, essentially requires doctors to request permission from
hospitals within 30 miles of their clinics to admit their patients in the event
of a complication. It effectively requires that doctor to be an honorary member
of the hospital’s staff.
“This is the beginning of the end,”
said National Organization for Women Legislative Director Angela Adkins. “We’re
down to three clinics in Louisiana and could possibly have less than that in a
week.”
Louisiana’s abortion clinics are
located in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. Adkins warns that further
restrictions on doctors could make it nearly impossible to keep abortion
clinics open.
“We are repeating history that does
not need to be repeated,” Adkins said, adding that limiting legal abortions can
lead to more illegal and unsafe abortions.
Adkins says Louisiana is on the
verge of eliminating abortions entirely, barring an appeal to the United States
Supreme Court before Monday.
“Don’t think this is the end because
it is not the end,” she said. “We are not done fighting and we will fight this
tooth and nail, all the way to the end, all the way to the Supreme Court if
necessary.”
NBCNews.com- Daniella Silva
January 13, 2019
After thousands of Women's March
demonstrators took over the streets of New Orleans two years in a row, Angela
Adkins noticed a sharp drop in support for this year's march.
“We began to be contacted by women
who were concerned about what was coming out of national,” said Adkins, who
chairs the New Orleans march and is president of the National Organization for
Women’s Baton Rouge chapter. “People that were working with us began to
question working with the Women’s March.”
WAFB-Racheal Thomas
January 3, 2019
Due to several unforeseen issues,
the 2019 Women’s March in New Orleans, originally scheduled for Jan. 19, has
been cancelled, say organizers of the event.
Organizers say the national
controversy over anti-semitic remarks made by Women’s March leaders has hurt
efforts to raise money for the event and to enlist involvement in the march in
New Orleans and other marches around the country. Organizers say attendance
numbers have also been low.
March organizers say they will
continue to work on issues that affect women in Louisiana.
“It is time to re-evaluate the
momentum that the Women’s March gave all of us the first two years. We will
listen to the concerns of all Louisiana women by holding round table
discussions around the state in March, Women’s History Month. Information
gathered will guide us moving forward with marches and other actions. It can
also take us past the marching and towards a new stage of the movement,” said
Angela Adkins, march chair and president of the National Organization for
Women’s Baton Rouge chapter.
Lift Louisiana
May 18, 2018
Advocates for women’s
health will host a Press Conference on Friday, May 18 to demand politicians
focus the last days of this legislative session on improving health care
access, the vital social services network, and economic justice for Louisiana
women and families. For the last
several months politicians in the capitol have failed to deliver justice for
Louisiana women. Instead, they have dedicated their time to passing new,
unconstitutional restrictions on abortion access including a ban on abortions
after fifteen weeks, proposing cuts to health care and social services,
rejecting an increase in the minimum wage and an equal pay bill that would
narrow one of the largest gender pay gaps in the country. Advocates will address these cruel policies
that hurt families and devastate the lives of women across the state.
WHO:
Lakeesha Harris,
Reproductive Justice and Sexual Health Program Manager, Women With a Vision
Maria Wickstrom, Board
Chair, New Orleans Abortion Fund
Angela Adkins,
National Organization for Women Louisiana
Ellie Schilling, JD,
Board Chair, Lift Louisiana
Petrice Sams-Abiodun,
Vice President of External Services – Louisiana, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast
WHAT: Media conference
about the 2018 legislative session and failure of policymakers to address the
needs of women and families in Louisiana.
WHEN: 10:00 a.m., CDT
Friday, May 18, 2018
WHERE: State Capitol
Park. N 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
The Advocate/nola.com-Elizabeth Crisp
May 2, 2018
Louisiana is on the path to adopting
one of the nation's most restrictive anti-abortion laws, as a proposed ban on
abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy continues to advance through the Legislature.
The bill, which would only go into
effect if a court upholds Mississippi's similar 15-week ban, now heads to the
full House for consideration.
"You will not stop
abortion," said Angela Adkins of Louisiana NOW. "Abortions have been
around forever since women first started conceiving."
Anti-Defamation League
May 1, 2018
An array of posters with anti-Trump
and pro-women themes – like “I am woman hear me roar,” “boys for girl power”
and “favorite ice cream, impeach mint” – could be seen among the sea of people.
There were some marchers that dressed themselves up in Carnival-like costumes,
others like the handmaids from Hulu’s “The Handmaid's Tale,” a Roman soldier
with President Trump’s head on a spike and many more creative ensembles.
The march opened with a collection
of speakers that included mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell; Louisiana House State
Representative Helena Moreno; Jenny Yanez, host of NOLA Matters: Islam in the
Crescent City and member of NOLA Matters; and many more. Each focused on
shedding light on a specific topic of their choice.
“This year is about taking action,”
said Angela Adkins, the New Orleans march organizer.
“We encourage everyone to find an
issue they are passionate about, find a group doing advocacy on that issue and
join them and help create change.”
May 31, 2017
Louisiana Lawmakers Finally
Acknowledge Women Deserve Equal Rights
New Orleans, LA (May 31, 2017) – A
Louisiana Senate committee voted today to move favorably on SCR 45, a
resolution to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The resolution was introduced
by Yvonne Colomb and is co-sponsored by Senators Troy Carter and Karen Carter
Peterson.
“For nearly one hundred years,
generations of women have fought for the ERA,” stated Angela Adkins,
Legislative Director of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Louisiana.
“We cannot allow our daughters and granddaughters to continue to exist as
second-class citizens in this country. We owe it to the next generation of
women to finally secure our equality in the Constitution.”
The Shreveport Times- Sarah Gamard
April 6, 2017
A New Orleans lawmaker wants to
exempt tampons and other feminine hygiene products, as well as diapers, from
the Louisiana sales tax. But pre-session
blowback to Senate Bill 24 is already starting.
Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans
said some males already are arguing against the pre-filed proposal as a
“special handout” to women, and that it is only fair their beer and fast food
be exempt as well.
If signed into law, SB24 would ban
state sales tax from tampons, menstrual pads, sanitary napkins, pantiliners,
menstrual sponges, menstrual cups and cloth and disposable diapers size 7 and
smaller.
Angela Adkins, president of the
Baton Rouge chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), said
Morrell’s bill is “long overdue” and she “could not be happier” that it is
pre-filed.
Adkins predicts there may be
opposition due to the budget shortfall, but that her organization will be
“working hard” to ensure it passes into law.
Adkins called the current
legislation “a tax on being a woman and a tax on being a mother.”
She also stressed the issue pertains
to entire families, not just women in isolation.
“Wives, mothers, daughters, sisters,
aunts,” she said. “We all need these products and we can’t do without them.”
The Gambit
August 1, 2016
Angela Adkins, president of the
Baton Rouge chapter for the National Organization for Women, agrees. According
to Adkins, the biggest leaps made for women in recent years are Medicaid
expansion, an initiative expected to bring health insurance to 375,000 people
in Louisiana, and a series of domestic abuse prevention bills authored by
Moreno in 2014.
This year, Edwards announced that
the state's Office of Women's Policy would be realigned with his office. The
policy office has served as a connector between nonprofits, government agencies
and legislators to address women's health and economic issues.
But Adkins' overall assessment
aligns with those of most women interviewed for this series: Louisiana has a
long way to go in the fight for women's rights. She says the first step is to
unite state legislators before trying to unite constituents. That work, she
says, starts in the Women's Caucus.
"They need to come together
as a cohesive unit whether they're Republican or Democrat," Adkins said.
"I implore them to read the reports and take a long, hard look at what is
going on for women in this state."
WRKF
August 1, 2016
(Until the 1974 state Constitution,
women in Louisiana were legal “chattel”, i.e., property of their fathers or
husbands. This is the second of a two-part series looking at “a woman’s place”
in Louisiana, more than 40 years later.)
Last week, the New York Times and
other media outlets said “Louisiana won the DNC roll call vote” – for
enthusiasm.
“We are one Louisiana! Louisiana
knows that love Trumps hate,” state Senator Karen Carter Peterson, Louisiana’s
Democratic Party chair, declared in Philadelphia. “We proudly cast our votes
for the first woman President of the United States, Hillary Rodham
Clinton!” she added, to resounding
cheers.
But back at home, enthusiasm for
women in elected office is nowhere near the same. Just 15-percent of state
legislators are female, ranking Louisiana 45th for the ration of women to men
in its legislature. And, as Angela Adkins with the National Organization for
Women notes, “There is an overall lack of respect for women in our
legislature.”
That lack of respect got national
attention this spring, as well, with the so-called “joke amendment” to a human
trafficking bill and the female House members’ responses. And the day after
that amendment was offered and withdrawn, a House committee killed the Equal
Pay bill. It was the eighth year in a row the measure had been offered, and the
eighth year in a row that it failed.
These are not isolated incidents.
Female lawmakers, like Rep. Malinda White, often have trouble being heard.
“I ask that I can get your
attention, so that we fully understand what we are voting on,“ Rep. White
pleaded, when presenting HB 38 near the end of the 2nd special session. Her
request for attention was not heeded.
“I’m going to quit speaking until
the place gets quiet,” she finally said, in frustration. “We can be here all
night if you like.”
She received no help from the House
Speaker.
Rep. Julie Stokes had different
trouble being heard. During a Fiscal Note Review committee meeting at the end
of the first special session.
“Let me interject something. I
understand…” moderator of the meeting, Rep. Chris Broadwater, interrupted
Stokes’ presentation
“Could I be allowed to finish?
‘Cause I was just like…” Stokes began to ask.
“Maybe,” Broadwater injected.
“…talking, and I had like four
sentences left, and I haven’t seen anyone else get interrupted up here.”
“Miss Stokes.”
“And it was my bill that was the
source of this mee…”
Broadwater turned off her
microphone.
What’s the solution?
“We need women who will run for
office,” Adkins states.
But of the 63 candidates who
qualified for the November 8th congressional elections, only 3 are women.
WRKF
July 6,
2016
(The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Roe v. Wade in
1973, yet until the 1974 Constitution, women in Louisiana were legal “chattel”,
i.e., property of their fathers or husbands. This is the first of a two-part
series looking at “a woman’s place” in Louisiana, more than 40 years later.)
A new lawsuit, filed in federal court July first, is
challenging the constitutionality of all seven abortion restrictions passed by
the Louisiana Legislature this spring.
It’s not like lawmakers didn’t expect this. In fact, based
on what Baton Rouge Rep. Rick Edmonds said during a committee hearing on his
abortion restriction bill, the challenge is part of the reason for these measures.
“Although we can’t resolve the constitutionality of every
pro-life bill, I think we’ve probably done enough homework to suffice that our
language is consistent with language that’s being tested over the country right
now,” Edmonds said, adding, “And I think we’re solid.”
But Angela Adkins with the Louisiana chapter of the National
Organization for Women believes there’s a deeper purpose to these laws than
reducing abortions while challenging Roe v. Wade.
“I believe it’s all based on controlling women,” Adkins told
WRKF.
The suit, brought by two of the state’s abortion clinics in
co-operation with the Center for Reproductive Health, charges that the new laws
are “depriving women of their autonomy and denying them their ability to make
decisions as competent adults.”
WRKF-Sue
Lincoln
June
29, 2016
How will Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court
decision in the Texas case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstadt affect
Louisiana’s similar law requiring abortion providers to have admitting
privileges?
“We do expect that the 5th Circuit Court will come to the same conclusion as
the Supreme Court – that it is unconstitutional,” Angela Adkins, legislative
director for the Louisiana chapter of the National Organization for Women said
in an interview with WRKF. Currently, this state’s 2014 HB 388, also known as
the “Unsafe Abortion Protection Act” is pending appeal before the full panel of
the 5th Circuit.
Supreme Court abortion ruling gets mixed responses from public
Louisiana
Radio Network
June 28,
2016
People on both sides of the Texas abortion Supreme Court
ruling are sounding off on the issue. The ruling overturned a law that
restricted women’s access to abortion clinics. That’s according to Executive
Director of the National Organization for Women in Louisiana, Angela Adkins.
She hopes this paves the way for the similar law in Louisiana to be struck
down. “It gives us a lot of hope that the same type of bill that is
currently enjoined by the Supreme Court for Louisiana will also be found
unconstitutional,” Adkins said.
Attorney General Jeff Landry says his office will continue
to fight for Louisiana’s pro-life laws. But Adkins says challenging the ruling
to keep this law on the books will be an expansive fight and a waste of
taxpayer dollars. “This is just ridiculous, beyond ridiculous, to keep wasting
taxpayer money on something that is a constitutional right for women to have,”
Adkins said.
WAFB-Cheryl
Mercedes
June 27,
2016
Louisiana
leaders are taking a closer look at the United States Supreme Court decision to
throw out a Texas abortion access law.
Meanwhile, the Louisiana Organization for Women is celebrating
the court's decision. President Angela Adkins said limiting abortion access to
women is unconstitutional, unnecessarily expensive, and can be ultimately
dangerous. "Some of them are having to fly to other states and they are
spending five and ten thousand dollars to get an abortion in this country and
that's ludicrous," Adkins said. Adkins added it would force more women to
have illegal abortions and that fighting the decision in court is a waste of
tax dollars. "Hopefully the opinion that was rendered today will be enough
for them to see that the Louisiana law is just as unconstitutional,"
Adkins said. This summer, Louisiana lawmakers passed additional laws that put
tighter restrictions on abortions, including one requires that women wait 72
hours before having the procedure making it one of four states to have the
longest waiting period in the country.
Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom
June 1, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Women’s Rights Advocates to Rally
Thursday at Governor’s Mansion
Supporters target Louisiana
Legislature’s attacks on women’s health, economic opportunities
WHAT: Planned Parenthood and the Louisiana
Coalition for Reproductive Freedom will host the Rally for Women across the
street from the governor’s mansion on Thursday to shed light on the state
Legislature’s actions aimed at limiting Louisiana women’s health care access
and economic opportunity. Attendees will hoist posters and banners encouraging
Gov. Edwards and the legislature to focus on policies that improve the lives of
women and families in Louisiana. A brief speaking program will follow.
WHO: Speakers to include: Raegan Carter,
Senior Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Planned
Parenthood Gulf Coast; Amy Irvin, Executive Director of the New Orleans
Abortion Fund; Megan Snider, advocate; Angela Adkins, Legislative Liaison for
Louisiana NOW; Julie Finger, MD, MPH; Michelle Erenberg, Executive Director of
Lift Louisiana; Dylan Waguespack, Equality LA
WHERE: Louisiana Governor’s Mansion (across the
street)
1001 Capitol Access Rd.
Baton Rouge, LA
WHEN: Thursday, June 2, 2016 |
11:00 a.m.
DETAILS: Thursday’s Rally for Women will be held in
response to the 2016 Louisiana Legislature’s collective attack on women, which
is poised to make our state a national leader in suppressing women’s rights. In
May, a Louisiana House committee rejected an equal pay bill aimed at narrowing
one of the largest gender pay gaps in the country. While, the 72-hour mandatory
delay period for abortions signed by Gov. Edwards is only one of many
anti-women’s health restrictions politicians in Louisiana have passed this
session:
A bill (HB 606) would block access
to basic preventive care at health centers like Planned Parenthood for
Louisianans enrolled in Medicaid. The Senate sent the bill to Gov. Edwards’
desk, and he has expressed his public support for this bill that could
jeopardize access to health care for thousands.
A bill (HB 1081) which bans a safe
method of legal abortion after the first trimester, regardless of a woman’s
personal medical circumstances. Gov. Edwards signed the prohibition into law in
May. It will prevent doctors from providing care based on what’s best for their
patients. Major mainstream medical experts, like the American Congress of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, oppose these measures, noting “these
restrictions represent legislative interference at its worst: doctors will be
forced, by ill-advised, unscientifically motivated policy, to provide lesser
care to patients. This is unacceptable.”
The
Guardian
May 20,
2016
It’s proving to be a tough time for woman’s
advocacy groups in Louisiana. “The equal pay bill was something we were pushing
especially hard for,” National Organization for Women Baton Rouge chapter
president Angela Adkins says. Adkins, who visits the state capitol several
times a week, was unsurprised by Havard’s amendment and his subsequent
reaction. “You hear comments between legislators, male legislators,” she says.
“You hear them between legislators and lobbyists. I’m at the capitol two, three
times a week and it’s always there.”
“The amendment was disgusting and demeaning to
half the population in the state,” she adds. “I looked back over Kenny Havard’s
voting record and he voted against anything that would help women and children
in this state … it just goes to show what women and children are thought of by
our elected officials.”
Louisiana
Coalition for Reproductive Freedom
May
24, 2016
New
Orleans, LA (May 23, 2016) – Last Thursday, Governor Edwards quietly signed two
new laws that restrict access to abortion. The Louisiana Coalition for
Reproductive Freedom is concerned about the impact of these laws and several
others making their way to the governor’s desk soon.
HB
386, now Act 97, triples the state’s mandated delay, forcing women seeking
abortions to wait at least 72 hours between obtaining state-mandated counseling
and the abortion. Health care providers and advocates say that forcing women to
delay their abortions does absolutely nothing to protect their health and in
fact can jeopardize their health. The longer wait imposed by this bill will
result in delays in obtaining an abortion which can lead women to obtain
procedures that can be more complicated, lengthy, and certainly more expensive.
“This
law demeans women because it assumes that we are not able to make decisions
that are in our best interest,” said Angela Adkins, NOW Baton Rouge
president. “Condescending legislation,
like HB 386, and Rep. Havard’s ‘joke’ amendment this week just illuminate the
misogyny and disrespect that women endure both inside and outside of the
Capitol.”
Louisiana
Coalition for Reproductive Freedom
May 3, 2016
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2016
Louisiana Senate Decides to Triple the Waiting
Period for Abortion
Reproductive
health advocates express disappointment with the vote
New
Orleans, LA (May 3, 2016) – The Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom
expressed serious disappointment that the Louisiana Senate voted today 34-4 to
impose an unnecessary, burdensome obstacle in the path of women seeking
abortions.
Last
week, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare heard HB 386. Angela Adkins of the Louisiana National
Organization for Women spoke out against the bill by reading names of women who
died from self-induced or unsafe illegal abortions. “During times when abortion
was illegal, it was also unsafe,” she said, adding, “Where abortions are legal,
deaths drop.”
The
Advocate-Elizabeth Crisp
April 28, 2016
Louisiana
lawmakers are advancing anti-abortion measures that would give the state one of
the nation’s longest mandatory waiting periods and eliminate state funding for
any group that provides abortions — even if that money would go only toward
unrelated services.
Angela
Adkins, of the National Organization for Women based in Louisiana, wept as she
read a list of names of women who she said died from attempts at self-abortion
procedures or botched illegal abortions.
“During
times when abortion was illegal, it was also unsafe,” she said. “Where
abortions are legal, deaths drop.”
Louisiana
Coalition for Reproductive Freedom
April 20, 2016
Reproductive
health advocates warn these efforts impose dangerous obstacles for women
New
Orleans, LA (April 20, 2016) – The Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom
expressed serious concerns about a slew of bills being considered by the House
Health and Welfare Committee today.
The
committee’s agenda, clearly coordinated with anti-abortion activists, includes
proposals to prohibit health care providers, like Planned Parenthood, from
receiving state funding even for family planning services. Another proposal by Representative Mike
Johnson would ban the most common abortion method in the second trimester. This
law inserts politicians squarely between doctors and their patients, forcing
physicians to abandon their own ethics and good practice, face criminal
penalties, or deny women the care they need.
“The
claim that anti-choice policymakers are working to protect and support the
health and lives of women, their pregnancies, and their children, is not
supported by Louisiana’s poor state-level health and well-being outcomes.
Legislators are patronizing women who have already made a decision by insisting
they take 3 extra days to re-consider that decision. It does nothing to empower
women and can harm their health instead,” says Angela Adkins, President, Baton
Rouge chapter of the National Organization for Women. “There should be no
debate over one of today’s most common medical procedures, with a low
complication rate of .06%. Restricting abortion doesn’t stop abortions, only
safe ones.”
Adkins notes Louisiana’s Attorney General is not backing down.
“Jeff Landry made a statement that he will continue to litigate and appeal. So
it’s going to be another case of wasting taxpayer money on a law that is
unconstitutional.”
The debate over Louisiana's law is still pending in the
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. That has many people concerned about how the
high court's ruling could impact that case.
Celebrations broke out in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices
overturned a Texas abortion law that required doctors, among other things, to
have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics. The
Texas doctors argued the regulations were an attempt to make it harder for
women to have an abortion.
