SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
(Photo: Steve Rainwater / Flickr Creative Commons)
Southern States Crushing Women's Right to Choose
As bill slashing abortion access passes Louisiana legislature, critics warn 'women and families will pay price'
May 22, 2014
An anti-choice bill targeting abortion providers passed through the GOP-controlled Louisiana legislature on Wednesday, raising fears that Louisiana will follow in the footsteps of other southern states by drastically cutting reproductive health care access.
"Opponents are waging a stealth war on abortion, and it's women and families who pay the price," said Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, in an organizational statement.
HB 388 passed with a vote of 88-5 and is next headed to the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has vowed to sign it.
If implemented, the bill will require that doctors who provide abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. It will also put a cap on the number of abortions that doctors can perform annually. Reproductive health advocates warn that the restrictions would shut down nearly all of the state's five abortion facilities and drastically cut access.
The bill passed despite fierce opposition from reproductive justice advocates and health professionals, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Critics slammed claims from the bill's proponents that the legislation is aimed at protecting women's health.
"Let me be clear: This law is not about women's health. It was designed by politicians - not doctors - to end access to safe, legal abortion," ACLU's Dalven continued.
"This bill does nothing to protect women's safety. It signals out abortion providers and holds them to an unattainable standard," said Amy Irvin, board member of New Orleans Abortion Fund, in a statement. "HB 388 does not protect the women and families of Louisiana--it denies them their constitutionally protected right to abortion."
"The Texas-style bill, along with the others proposed, is part of a nationwide plan to pass restrictions that will shut down women's health centers and prevent women from accessing safe and legal abortions," stated the ACLU.
The bill follows similar laws that have recently swept Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Wisconsin. Oklahoma is currently considering similar legislation.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
An anti-choice bill targeting abortion providers passed through the GOP-controlled Louisiana legislature on Wednesday, raising fears that Louisiana will follow in the footsteps of other southern states by drastically cutting reproductive health care access.
"Opponents are waging a stealth war on abortion, and it's women and families who pay the price," said Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, in an organizational statement.
HB 388 passed with a vote of 88-5 and is next headed to the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has vowed to sign it.
If implemented, the bill will require that doctors who provide abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. It will also put a cap on the number of abortions that doctors can perform annually. Reproductive health advocates warn that the restrictions would shut down nearly all of the state's five abortion facilities and drastically cut access.
The bill passed despite fierce opposition from reproductive justice advocates and health professionals, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Critics slammed claims from the bill's proponents that the legislation is aimed at protecting women's health.
"Let me be clear: This law is not about women's health. It was designed by politicians - not doctors - to end access to safe, legal abortion," ACLU's Dalven continued.
"This bill does nothing to protect women's safety. It signals out abortion providers and holds them to an unattainable standard," said Amy Irvin, board member of New Orleans Abortion Fund, in a statement. "HB 388 does not protect the women and families of Louisiana--it denies them their constitutionally protected right to abortion."
"The Texas-style bill, along with the others proposed, is part of a nationwide plan to pass restrictions that will shut down women's health centers and prevent women from accessing safe and legal abortions," stated the ACLU.
The bill follows similar laws that have recently swept Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Wisconsin. Oklahoma is currently considering similar legislation.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
An anti-choice bill targeting abortion providers passed through the GOP-controlled Louisiana legislature on Wednesday, raising fears that Louisiana will follow in the footsteps of other southern states by drastically cutting reproductive health care access.
"Opponents are waging a stealth war on abortion, and it's women and families who pay the price," said Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, in an organizational statement.
HB 388 passed with a vote of 88-5 and is next headed to the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has vowed to sign it.
If implemented, the bill will require that doctors who provide abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. It will also put a cap on the number of abortions that doctors can perform annually. Reproductive health advocates warn that the restrictions would shut down nearly all of the state's five abortion facilities and drastically cut access.
The bill passed despite fierce opposition from reproductive justice advocates and health professionals, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Critics slammed claims from the bill's proponents that the legislation is aimed at protecting women's health.
"Let me be clear: This law is not about women's health. It was designed by politicians - not doctors - to end access to safe, legal abortion," ACLU's Dalven continued.
"This bill does nothing to protect women's safety. It signals out abortion providers and holds them to an unattainable standard," said Amy Irvin, board member of New Orleans Abortion Fund, in a statement. "HB 388 does not protect the women and families of Louisiana--it denies them their constitutionally protected right to abortion."
"The Texas-style bill, along with the others proposed, is part of a nationwide plan to pass restrictions that will shut down women's health centers and prevent women from accessing safe and legal abortions," stated the ACLU.
The bill follows similar laws that have recently swept Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Wisconsin. Oklahoma is currently considering similar legislation.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.