Louisiana Judge Overturns Pro-Life Law That Could Close Abortion Clinics Not Protecting Women

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jan 27, 2016   |   6:55PM   |   Baton Rouge, LA

A Louisiana judge sided with abortion advocates Tuesday and ruled against a state law that would ensure abortion clinics are meeting basic health and safety requirements.

Baton Rouge District Judge John deGravelles blocked the law from taking effect and declared it “unconstitutional” in a Tuesday ruling, ABC News reports. DeGravelles scheduled a conference Friday to consider whether the injunction should be made permanent, according to the report.

The pro-life law would protect women by ensuring that abortionists have admitting privileges at a local hospital, that informed consent protections apply to all abortions, and that facilities that perform more than five abortions maintain proper licensing.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry promised to keep fighting to uphold the law. He said the state will appeal the decision.

“As attorney general, I am committed to enforcing our state’s pro-life and pro-woman laws,” Landry said. “My office and I will continue to do all we legally can to protect the unborn, their mothers and all Louisiana women.”

In August, three of the five abortion facilities in the state, along with two abortion doctors, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge in an attempt to stop the Unsafe Abortion Protection Act (House Bill 388) from taking effect on Sept. 1.

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They asked for an immediate injunction against the law and for the court to rule HB 388 unconstitutional, claiming it will put an undue burden on women’s right to choose abortion before viability.

Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Ben Clapper previously told LifeNews: “Not surprisingly, the abortion industry has filed suit to stop the common-sense standards put in place by HB 388. We believe it is the right of the state of Louisiana to close loopholes that allow abortion facilities to operate at a lower standard as compared to other surgical facilities.”

Clapper said that although the facilities and doctors are claiming they have not had enough time to get admitting privileges, the amount of time they had was similar to the amount of time involved in the implementation of a similar law in Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear abortion advocates’ challenge of the Texas law in March.

The law is responsible for closing abortion clinics that could not guarantee they could protect the health of Texas women. It has been credited with saving the lives of more than 10,000 unborn children.

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