Louisiana Outlaws Type of Late-Term Abortion
Louisiana became the first state to outlaw a late-term abortion procedure today, when Gov. Kathleen Blanco approved legislation allowing doctors to be prosecuted for performing the surgery. The new law allows so-called "partial birth" abortions in only one situation: when failure to perform it would endanger the mother's life. The procedure would be a crime in all other cases, even if the pregnancy is expected to cause health problems for the mother.