Bill directing physicians to keep alive pregnant women for sake of fetus flies through LA House

[MountainLaurel]

95-0 vote. Let that sink in for a second. No Louisiana house members would stand up for a woman's right to bodily autonomy once she is on life support.

At-a-Glance: A bill that would order physicians in Louisiana to try to keep alive pregnant women who become medically incapacitated if the fetus has a viable chance at live birth advanced out of the Louisiana House Monday (May 5) by a unanimous vote.

If adopted into law, the state's order to keep the mother alive for the sake of the fetus would supersede wishes of the family and of the mother's will after 20 weeks of pregnancy, unless the will specified "do not resuscitate" while pregnant.

The bill: Senate Bill 1274, sponsored by Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, says if a doctor determines that a woman's life can "reasonably be maintained" and the fetus will continue to develop and be viable, then measures are supposed to be taken to keep her alive though life support, for example, until the child is born.

The debate: Badon said he sponsored the bill to give a voice to unborn children, noting many wills don't specify advance directives for life support preferences in the event of pregnancy. The bill would allow the state, under the opinion and care of the attending doctor, to make those decisions when ambiguity otherwise exists. He said a will would have to specify life support preferences in the event of pregnancy in order for them to be valid.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/05/pregnant_life_support_louisian.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[peace13]

1. Ya gotta wonder who's gonna pay for that!

The team that denies women healthcare wants to keep a corpse 'alive' to birth an uninsured baby. Boy these guys are gutless wonders! Maybe the church can pay the bill...and raise the baby!

[MountainLaurel]

2. Considering the state of healthcare here

In the end, taxpayers will end up with the bill

[niyad]

3. and the war on women continues apace

[dem in texas]

4. This bill was sponsored by a Democrat?

It this right, it is crazy. All of this is because of the woman who was kept alive over in Ft.Worth against her family's wishes. The husband tried to have her taken off life support, said you could smell death on her. The hospital finally found the fetus was severely deformed and let her die. I felt so sorry for the family being put through all that just to satisfy some religious right wingers. this is family stuff and everyone else should stay out of it.

[MountainLaurel]

5. He's definitely a Dem

Meanwhile, the rest of Louisiana Dems either voted for it or left the room to take a call or such so they'd be marked as Absent, including my chickenshit rep. His district is reliably blue, but the Louisiana Family Forum runs the legislature. I'd have more respect for my rep if he'd voted for the bill.

[csziggy]

6. Badon doesn't realize that advance directives do NOT belong in wills?

"The debate: Badon said he sponsored the bill to give a voice to unborn children, noting many wills don't specify advance directives for life support preferences in the event of pregnancy. The bill would allow the state, under the opinion and care of the attending doctor, to make those decisions when ambiguity otherwise exists. He said a will would have to specify life support preferences in the event of pregnancy in order for them to be valid."

First, a will is not valid until the person is dead. Advance directives need to be consulted before that point. Perhaps he meant a living will but what he said does not indicate that.

For more info: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/living-wills

[MountainLaurel]

13. Probably not

From what I gather listening to some advocates who have spoken to him on the issue, his only concern is saving "babies." He doesn't give a flying fuck about the costs, the legality, the ethical issues involved.

[theHandpuppet]

7. Women officially nothing more now than incubators

And all the dems fell right in line with this. Disgusting!

[MrScorpio]

9. And if the child has no father or other family members, who's going raise it?

The State prepared for that eventuality?

[dembotoz]

12. who the hell cares-the anti choice bastard job ends at birth

[tanyev]

10. But, but, isn't that the government coming between you and your doctor?

[PeaceNikki]

11. disgusting.