Louisiana House panel votes to ban abortion

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story
By Sahil Kapur

A House committee in Louisiana voted Tuesday to ban abortions, a controversial move that sends the bill to the floor for debate.

The House Bill 587, sponsored by Republican state Rep. John LaBruzzo, would expand the parameters of the feticide crime to include for voluntarily aborted fetuses, according to The Associated Press.

It's unclear whether the bill can pass either chamber in the legislature or be signed into law. Even if it does, it would face a serious challenge in the courts. LaBruzzo admits that pro-choice organizations will say it violates the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/25/louisiana-house-panel-votes-to-ban-abortion/

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. They keep pushing, pushing, pushing...

Even though they know this is unconstitutional...

Even though the odds are against them.

We could take a lesson from their determination.

Couldn't we?

[Logical]

2. So true! We need their backbone!

[arbusto_baboso]

3. But with the current SCOTUS, will it remain unconstitutional?

I think that's why they're pushing right now.

[BlueDemKev]

5. Not yet....

There are still at least five (5) justices who are in favor of protecting Roe v. Wade: Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Kennedy. However, Louisiana may be anticipating a Republican winning the presidency next year and with Ginsburg and Breyer approaching their 80th birthdays, the composition of the court could suddenly turn to the far right.

All the more reason we absolutely MUST re-elect Barack Obama in 2012! Too much is at stake!!!

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Even though it's unconstitutional now, the states keep passing these bans in the hopes

that the current Supreme Court will overturn Rowe v. Wade. If that happens, the state laws are already in place and will take effect immediately.

[BlueDemKev]

7. Correct, which is why we need to keep the White House

If Obama serves a second term, there is a reasonable chance that we may end up getting a LIBERAL majority on the Supreme Court (we can save Ginsburg's and Breyer's seats and maybe, just maybe, take Scalia's).

[BlueDemKev]

4. Ah.....Louisiana

20 years ago, Louisiana's then-Democratic-controlled legislature passed a law (via an override of a Republican governor's veto!) which banned abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life. The state is heavily-religious, poorly-educated, and EXTREMELY backwards in their thinking.

The 1991 law was struck down in federal court as a "clear violation of Roe v. Wade" and the appeals court affirmed the lower-court ruling in 1992 a few monts after the Supreme Court in Casey v. Planned Parenthood, reaffirmed the central premise of Roe. The Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote (with Thomas(!) joining the majority) declined to hear the Louisiana case. The ideological composition of the court has changed very little since the early '90s, the one big difference is that the moderate O'Connor was replaced with right-wing Alito. Still, there are at least five justices who are still pro-choice: Ginsburg, Breyer, Kennedy, Sotomayor, and Kagan. So for now, I wouldn't worry too much.

However, if a tea-bagger is elected president next year, the Supreme Court will be DOMINATED by a bunch of Scalias and Alitos (Ginsburg and Breyer are pushing 80).

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. And I would bet my LAST dollar that a tea-bagger won't be elected.

Not next year.

Not EVER.

However, we do need to re-elect Obama.

This issue is one of the many reasons we need to do so.

[BlueDemKev]

9. Yep. AND The Affordable Care Act

The Republicans know that the ACA is a market-based reform law and has very reasonable provisions, and they know that once the law is fully in effect, the American people will be very pleased knowing that their insurance coverage cannot be cancelled and those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage (or charged higher premiums for coverage). That's why they want to hurry up and repeal it quickly before people wise up to all their lies about "gov't takeovers", "death panels", and "rationed medical care."