Louisiana Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards Signs Heartbeat Abortion Ban

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) on Thursday afternoon signed a “heartbeat bill” into law , which would make it illegal to perform abortions after a heartbeat is detected (typically around 6-8 weeks) except in cases where the pregnancy is medically futile or the pregnancy poses a serious risk to the woman’s life or health.

He announced that he'd sign the bill came after the state House passed the bill on a bipartisan 79-23 vote on Wednesday. It cleared the Senate on a similarly bipartisan 31-5 vote earlier this month. The heartbeat bill received unanimous support from Republicans, while nearly half of the Louisiana legislature’s Democrats voted in favor.

Edwards offered the following statement following Wednesday’s vote:

“In 2015, I ran for governor as a pro-life candidate after serving as a pro-life legislator for eight years. As governor I have been true to my word and my beliefs on this issue. But it is also my sincere belief that being pro-life means more than just being pro-birth… I know there are many who feel just as strongly as I do on abortion and disagree with me - and I respect their opinions. As I prepare to sign this bill, I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for it to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone.”

Now that the bill has been signed into law, it will likely be the subject of lawsuits similar to those that have been filed against heartbeat abortion bans enacted recently in Georgia, Ohio, and Mississippi.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / felixmizioznikov)