By John Jalsevac
BATON ROUGE, June 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Louisiana has become the first state to ban partial-birth abortion since the Supreme Court held up a federal ban on the gruesome procedure earlier this year.
Legislation that would ban partial-birth abortion in the state passed by a landslide 104-0 vote in the Louisiana House of Representatives yesterday. The same legislation was passed by a 36-0 vote in the Senate on Monday.
Planned Parenthood argued against the ban, reports the ABC, but was not well received by legislators. Only one representative voted against the ban in committee and floor votes, Democratic Rep. Charlie DeWitt, and then he only questioned why the ban specified that only the doctor who performs the abortion would be liable for prosecution, and not the mother as well.
The primary sponsor of the bill, Sen. Ben Nevers, said earlier this month, according to the Shreveport Times, “Many of us know that partial-birth abortion is one of the most gruesome procedures ever allowed in this country.”
“It should be a crime in this state and every state.”
“This places a statute in law that gives Louisiana the right to prosecute and not wait on a federal prosecutor,” said Nevers.
Nevers’ bill, if passed into law, would see doctors who perform partial-birth abortions, except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger, criminally charged and punished with fines between $1,000 and $100,000 and jail time between 1 and 10 years.
The bill will now go before the governor Gov. Kathleen Blanco who must sign the bill before it will become law.