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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In Louisiana, teacher pay raises, added exceptions to the state’s near-total abortion ban and abolishing the death penalty are among items on Gov. John Bel Edwards’ wish list this legislative session.
Unable to run for re-election in October because of consecutive-term limits, the Democrat delivered his final State of the State address to lawmakers Monday, kicking off Louisiana's 2023 regular legislative session. Over the next two-months, the Republican-dominated Legislature will debate the governor’s proposed $45 billion spending plan as well as bills surrounding hot-button issues that have gripped statehouses across the country this year.
Among Edwards' requests is adding rape and incest exceptions to the state's near-total abortion ban. Following the downfall of Roe v. Wade, Louisiana enacted one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country last year. The only exceptions to the ban are in cases where there is a substantial risk of death or impairment to the patient and for “medically futile” pregnancies — those in which the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
“I simply do not know how we, as a state, can tell a young girl or any victim of rape or incest that she must be forced by law to carry her rapist’s baby to term, regardless of the impact on her own physical or mental health, the wishes of her parents, or the medical judgment of her physician,” Edwards said.
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