One of the state’s most prominent pro-life advocacy organizations comes out against a controversial bill that would allow women who get abortions to be charged with murder.
Louisiana Family Forum President Gene Mills told WWL they have a number of concerns about the bill. This makes it two major statewide pro-life groups, along with Louisiana Right to Life, who oppose the legislation by Oil City State Representative Danny McCormick.
The bill passed out of the House Criminal Justice Committee last week 7-2 and is scheduled to be heard on the House floor this week.
Mills said Louisiana already has a number of “trigger” laws on the books in the event that Roe vs. Wade is overturned. Those laws would take effect immediately upon an overturning of Roe and ban providing abortion services in Louisiana.
The legislation’s language allowing women to face life in prison over having abortions grabbed nationwide headlines. We asked Mills about that aspect of the bill, and whether women should face criminal charges for having abortions.
“We’ve always said it is the provider that needs to be limited by virtue of public policy, I think that is unhelpful, unnecessary, and maybe even harmful especially in light of what the (US) Supreme Court is trying to accomplish,” said Mills who said the legislation was crafted by out of state lawyers. “I think there are some areas that are overly broad and might even meet a constitutional threshold and not pass the test on that question.”
Mills said those “trigger” laws already on the books would accomplish Representative McCormick’s stated goal of ending abortion in Louisiana given the seemingly imminent overturning of Roe.
“In terms of public policy we are confident that what I have worked for my entire adult life, an abortion-free Louisiana, is about to transpire,” said Mills.
