On June 17, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed Senate Bill 342 (full text), amending a 2006 law that banned all abortions except to prevent death or permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ of the pregnant woman, or in cases of unintentional termination because of medical treatment. The law becomes effective if and when Roe is reversed. The Governor's signing letter (full text) explains the changes that SB 342 made to the 2006 "trigger law":
[T]he list of exceptions to the abortion prohibition ... is expanded to include: (1) when a medical procedure is performed with the intent to save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child, (2) when medical procedures are performed after a pregnant woman miscarries, (3) treatment and removal of an ectopic pregnancy, and (4) when a medical procedure is performed to remove an unborn child with an irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly that is incompatible with sustaining life after birth. Although the ... Bill ... did not add rape and incest to the two existing exceptions ..., it did clarify that pregnancy and the life of an unborn child begin at implantation, rather than at fertilization ..., and clearly allows for emergency contraception to be administered to victims of rape and incest prior to when a pregnancy can be clinically diagnosed.
On June 17, the Governor also signed Senate Bill 388 (full text) to prohibit prescribing or selling in or into the state drugs for medical abortions. Again, the bill's effectiveness is triggered by the overruling of Roe v. Wade. ABC News reports on the bills. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]
