Proposed bill would make changes to Louisiana abortion law

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A pre-filed bill would make changes to definitions related to abortion in the state of Louisiana.

HB63, by State Representative Candace Newell, calls for some changes to the state's abortion law.

Among them is the removal of an ectopic pregnancy through surgery or treatment would not be classified as an abortion. Removing ectopic pregnancies' are already not considered abortions under the law, but the bill would explicitly lay them out as a protect procedure. The bill would also add a provision for the treatment of cancer or blood disorders, and a molar pregnancy will not be considered an abortion.

There are already provisions in the current law that allow for doctors to perform life-saving measures. The law states: "a licensed physician to perform a medical procedure necessary in reasonable medical judgment to prevent the death or substantial risk of death due to a physical condition, or to prevent the serious, permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ of a pregnant woman."

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion has been completely banned in Louisiana except in cases where the fetus is found to be non-viable, or the life of the mother is at risk. The list of what constitutes a fetus to be non-viable has been controversial and some lawmakers claim is not clear enough for doctors who fear prosecution. In 2023, lawmakers attempted to refine the state's strict abortion ban, but those efforts were struck down.

The current abortion law, according to the Louisiana Legislature, states that "whoever commits the crime of abortion shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than one year nor more than ten years and shall be fined not less than $10,000 nor more than $100,000."

In 2022, the Legislature made the punishment for doctors who performed abortions stronger. Doctors could face thousands of dollars in fines and years in prison should they perform abortions if the Supreme Court makes a move to remove protections from abortions.

The bill also lays out protections for contraception: "

"...Any device, measure, drug, chemical, endometrial implantation modification, or product, including single-ingredient levonorgestrel, that has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the purpose of preventing pregnancy and is intended to be administered prior to the time when a clinically diagnosable pregnancy can be determined, provided that the contraceptive is sold, prescribed, or administered in accordance with manufacturer's instructions"

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