Southern States Crushing Women's Right to Choose

An anti-choice bill targeting abortion providers passed through the GOP-controlled Louisiana legislature on Wednesday, raising fears that Louisiana will follow in the footsteps of other southern states by drastically cutting reproductive health care access.

“Opponents are waging a stealth war on abortion, and it’s women and families who pay the price,” said Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, in an organizational statement.

HB 388 passed with a vote of 88-5 and is next headed to the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has vowed to sign it.

If implemented, the bill will require that doctors who provide abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. It will also put a cap on the number of abortions that doctors can perform annually. Reproductive health advocates warn that the restrictions would shut down nearly all of the state’s five abortion facilities and drastically cut access.

The bill passed despite fierce opposition from reproductive justice advocates and health professionals, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Critics slammed claims from the bill’s proponents that the legislation is aimed at protecting women’s health.