Yesterday, the Louisiana State House Health and Welfare Committee voted 10-2 to send a bill to the House floor that bans virtually all abortion in the State of Louisiana. The bill, introduced by Republican John LaBruzzo of Metairie, criminalizes all abortion, even in the case of incest or rape. LaBruzzo is hoping that the Bill prompts lawsuits, as he wants to see this head to the Supreme Court, hoping that Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Apparently,
"LaBruzzo told the committee that he's comfortable with the knowledge that the bill would prompt expensive lawsuits against the state.'If you want to put a price tag on innocent life, then that's your prerogative,' said LaBruzzo."
According to another article in the Times-Picayune,
"The bill would make it a crime to provide an abortion or prescribe drugs with the intent of ending a pregnancy. There would be exceptions for medically necessary abortions, as certified by a physician, but not for cases of rape or incest."LaBruzzo also seems to want this to be a litmus test for "true" conservatives.
"(LaBruzzo) said he does not mean the legislation as an election-year threat, but he said, 'I think you would have a hard time voting against this bill and convincing people that you are truly pro-life.'"In a sad and ironic twist, Louisiana was rated last year as the second to worst state in the nation on child well-being. The report, which looked at parameters such as children's health, education, economic status, and family structure, ranked Louisiana as 49th in the country - for the ninth year in a row.
It seems that the Louisiana legislature would be much better served spending its time, and the state's money, doing something - anything - to improve the lives of the kids that are already living. But as with most of the hard-core conservatives, the sanctity of life ends at birth.