Louisiana, Massachusetts Take Action On Abortion, Sex Education Measures

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 23 Jul 2007 - 12:00 PDT


The following highlights recent state actions on abortion and sex education-related legislation.

Abortion

• Louisiana: Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) on Friday signed two bills (HB 614, SB 161) that would ban so-called "partial birth" abortion in the state and create criminal penalties for physicians who perform the procedure, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Anderson, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/14). Under the House bill, doctors who provide the procedure could receive fines up to $100,000 and jail sentences of up to 10 years. The ban would allow exceptions when the life of the pregnant woman is in danger (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/27). The Senate measure contains the same provisions as the House bill, but there are "slight differences" between the two, according to the Times-Picayune. Although both bills went into effect when Blanco signed them, the Louisiana Law Institute, a technical legal panel that works with the Legislature, will distinguish the differences in the bill and codify the statutes, Blanco Executive Counsel Terry Ryder said. He added that the Senate measure takes precedence because it passed after the House bill. Blanco last week also signed a bill (HB 25) that would require a woman seeking an abortion to be told of the availability of anesthesia, which would "eliminate or alleviate organic pain to the unborn child." The statute requires that the brochure given to women states that at 20 weeks' gestation "the unborn child has the physical structures necessary to experience pain. ... Anesthesia is routinely administered to unborn children who are 20 weeks' gestational age or older who undergo prenatal surgery." The law takes effect Aug. 15 (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/14).

Sex Education

• Louisiana: Blanco last week vetoed a provision of a state budget measure that would have provided $500,000 for the Louisiana Governor's Program on Abstinence, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. According to the Times-Picayune, the provision, which was added by Rep. Gary Beard (R), would have taken effect only if the governor's program stopped receiving federal funding. Blanco said she vetoed the measure because it could have force cuts to other public health programs (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/13).
  

• Massachusetts: Gov. Deval Patrick (D) on Thursday vetoed a provision in the state budget measure that would have accepted a $700,000 federal grant for abstinence-only sex education classes, the Boston Herald reports (Fargen, Boston Herald, 7/13). According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, eight other states have rejected the funding, which requires that sex education curricula promote abstinence until marriage, and 12 additional states are considering not applying for the grant. In rejecting the funding, Patrick's administration cited a study commissioned by Congress and released last month that found students who participate in abstinence-only programs are as likely to have sex as students who do not participate in the programs (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/7). According to the Herald, the Dorchester, Mass.-based Healthy Futures -- which teaches abstinence education to 7,000 middle school students annually -- will lose about $500,000, or about 50% of its annual budget. Rep. Brad Jones (R) said he will call on the Republican leadership in the Legislature to attempt to override Patrick's veto. However, Patrick could still decide not to apply for the grant if his veto is overridden, the Herald reports (Boston Herald, 7/13).
  

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