Yesterday the Louisiana House of Representatives voted 85 to 0 on a bill that would require that clinics providing abortion services post signs indicating that a woman cannot be forced to obtain an abortion and that her partner is legally obligated to pay child support. The signs must also state that services are available to help women during and following their pregnancies and that adoptive parents may be able to offer financial assistance with the pregnancy.
The bill would also require that abortion providers notify women about a state Department of Health and Hospitals abortion alternatives website that includes information about adoption services, so-called crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs),which do not offer women neutral or comprehensive medical advice, fetal development, and false information about so-called fetal pain, which has been discredited by medical experts.
The bill has already passed the state Senate and will now go to Governor Bobby Jindal (R), who is expected to sign it into law.
Media Resources: National Partnership for Women and Families 6/22/11; New Orleans Times-Picayune 6/21/11; Feminist Daily Newswire 6/6/11
