Louisiana lawmakers ban non-existent abortion procedure

Striking a defiant blow against reproductive health for women, the Louisiana legislature has outlawed the little-used procedure that anti-choice activists have labeled "partial-birth abortion."

The measure uses the same words to describe the little-used late-term abortion procedure as does a federal law, the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld April 18. Like the federal law, the bill does not include an exception to protect a woman’s health, only allowing the procedure in life-threatening situations.

The difference is that Louisiana’s bill would make it a state crime for a doctor to violate the ban, subject to a fine and one to 10 years in prison.

Governor Kathleen Blanco, an anti-abortion Democrat, has not indicated whether she will sign the bill or not. She has the option of allowing it to become law without her signature.