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BATON ROUGE, March 27, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The Democratic governor of Louisiana says he would sign into law a bill banning abortions on babies older than 15 weeks.

Current Louisiana law bans abortions at 20 weeks, as do 16 other states. If signed, SB 181 will make Louisiana the second state to ban abortions at 15 weeks, after Mississippi. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed his state’s 15-week abortion ban last Monday, though a federal judge temporarily blocked in the next day.

The Gambit reports that the Louisiana Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to consider two pieces of pro-life legislation “soon.” SB 325 gives prosecutors greater ability to permanently shut down abortion facilities that break record-keeping laws and commit other violations, while SB 181 bans abortion at 15 weeks.

Neither the proposed legislation in Louisiana nor the new law in Mississippi allows exceptions for babies conceived in rape.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a pro-life Democrat, said last week that it “remains to be seen whether [the 15 week ban] will make its way through the process,” but “I would be inclined to sign it if it hits my desk.”

“The abortionists are relentless in their assault against the unborn,” State Sen. John Milkovich, the bill’s lead sponsor and another pro-life Democrat, declared. “We intend to fight three times harder and end the scourge of abortion in Louisiana. It is my hope this legislation will assist in this fight.”

In response, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast has vowed to mobilize opposition to the bill.

“The idea that Gov. Edwards would say he was inclined to sign it is shocking,” Rochelle Tafolla, the affiliate’s vice president of communications and marketing, said.

Some medical literature suggests preborn babies may be capable of feeling pain as early as 14 weeks, a factor some legal experts believe will be key to getting the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold abortion bans earlier than viability.

As for SB 325, it would make records tampering, committing illegal abortions on minors, and killing fully-delivered babies grounds for district attorneys, the attorney general, and the governor to push for an abortion facility to be permanently closed.

“I am very much a pro-life individual,” said Edwards.