BATON ROUGE, LA – Governor Bobby Jindal signed two bills into law Thursday that will protect women and children from an abortion industry often more interested in profit than the best interest of patient health and safety.
(You can watch footage from Gov. Jindal’s signing ceremony here.)
On March 7th, Gov. Jindal announced at a press conference that H.B. 388 and H.B. 305 were a part of his 2014 Legislative Package. Both pieces of legislation were created in collaboration between Louisiana Right to Life and the Bioethics Defense Fund.
H.B. 388 authored by Rep. Katrina Jackson (D-Monroe), known as the “Unsafe Abortion Protection Act,” will ensure that women who experience complications from abortion, such as hemorrhage, uterine perforation, or infection from an incomplete abortion, are given the highest standard of care possible at a local hospital without any delays through the requirement that abortion physicians have admitting privileges at a hospital within thirty miles of their facility.
HB 388 also requires doctors who perform more than five abortions a year to maintain proper licensing. The measure also clarifies that the “Women’s Right to Know” law applies to surgical as well as chemical abortions. H.B. 388 passed by overwhelming bi-partisan margins in both the Louisiana House (85-6) and Senate (34-3).
H.B. 305 authored by Rep. Hoffmann (R-West Monroe) ensures that representatives of any organization or business that performs elective abortion or their affiliates may not provide instruction or materials in public elementary and secondary schools or in charter schools that receive state funding. H.B. 305 passed the Louisiana House with a vote of 91-6, and in the Senate 31-5.
In a statement Rep. Jackson said the following about H.B. 388:
“The necessity of HB 388 was highlighted by the compelling testimony of a woman injured during an abortion, who now leads the Abortion Recovery Alliance. She was told to ‘get up and get out’ after being injured, and this type of treatment is prevalent in the abortion industry. Abortion is often called a ‘minor surgery’, but the truth is that women frequently suffer from both physical and psychological effects from abortion. We want to make sure women receive the absolute best care, and protecting women through common sense legislation is something we all should stand behind.”
Dorinda Bordlee, Senior Council of the Bioethics Defense Fund, and principle architect of both bills, said the following about HB 388:
“HB 388 is a strong bill that protects the health and safety of women by holding abortion facilities and abortionists to the highest standard of medical practice. The language of the bill was modeled after the Texas law that was upheld by unanimous, all-women panel of federal judges of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The pro-abortion movement likes to speak of a “war on women” by the right to life movement, but we can proudly say that HB 388 was drafted and supported by a woman attorney and representative, carried in the House and Senate by women legislators, and two thirds of women in the legislature supported it. The bottom line is HB 388 is by women and for women.”
Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, an organization that works through education, legislation, activism and service to protect the dignity of all life, also commented on H.B. 305. He said
“This piece of common-sense legislation will ensure that abortion providers who have financial interest in abortion, such as Planned Parenthood, will not be able to access children on publicly funded school grounds with direct or indirect efforts to promote abortion or other activities that are contrary to Louisiana law. H.B. 305 will reassure Louisiana families that their children in state-funded schools are not being targeted by individuals and organizations who have financial incentives to sell abortion.”
Additionally, on Monday Governor Jindal signed into law HB 1262, another important piece of pro-life legislation. HB 1262 provides women with life-saving information about the psychological impact of abortion and the dangers of the sex trafficking industry to women prior to an abortion.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
