NATION IN BRIEF : LOUISIANA : Court Bars Use of 1855 Abortion Law

A special three-judge federal panel in New Orleans refused to allow Louisiana to resume enforcing an old criminal law against abortion, saying that the 1855 statute had been superseded by newer legislation. The Louisiana lawsuit was one of the first initiatives to outlaw abortions under last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave states more authority to restrict abortions. Louisiana Atty. Gen. William Guste said he was considering an appeal of the ruling. According to the language of the 1855 law, doctors who were found guilty of performing abortions could be sentenced to 10 years at hard labor.