Louisiana Senate OKs Stiff Abortion Bill

The Louisiana Senate voted Tuesday night to approve what could become the nation’s most restrictive abortion law, moving the legislation a step closer to a veto showdown with Gov. Buddy Roemer.

The all-male Senate voted 24 to 15 to approve the bill after almost five hours of debate. One minor amendment was added to the House-passed bill, meaning it must go back to the lower chamber for concurrence.

The House is likely to accept the Senate amendment, sending the bill to Gov. Roemer, who has said he will veto any legislation that does not allow abortions in cases of rape or incest--exceptions that are not in the bill.

Under the measure, any doctor performing an abortion would be subject to a fine of up to $100,000 and a jail term of up to 10 years. The only exception in the bill is if the woman’s life is endangered by the pregnancy.

After the vote, Donna Moss, a spokeswoman for Roemer, said that the governor would have no comment on whether he would sign or veto the measure until he had read it. “His position has not changed,” she said.

A veto override is considered unlikely. There has not been a successful override in Louisiana history, and indications are that the Legislature would have a hard time breaking that trend.

Roemer has 10 days to sign or veto the bill after legislative action has been completed. A two-thirds vote in each chamber of the Legislature is required to override a veto.

The Senate passed the bill by only four votes over a bare majority--which is two less than the 26 needed to override a veto. The House had voted 74 to 27 for the measure, only four votes more than would be needed for a veto override.

At least three senators and five members of the House have said that, although they voted for the bill, they would vote against an override.

Moments after the vote was announced, some angry abortion rights advocates walked out of the upper chamber with tears streaking their faces.

“Women are going to die for what happened in this place today,” said a badly shaken woman.

But, after the vote, most of the 100 spectators who had crammed into the public balcony wildly applauded the Senate for more than a minute.

“This is the most important day in Louisiana since Jan. 21, 1973,” said Sharon Fontenot, an abortion opponent, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Roe vs. Wade decision, which legalized abortion on demand.

During debate on the bill, Sen. Mike Cross, a co-author of the measure, told his colleagues that abortions are rip-offs. “The doctor walks in, tries to make the woman feel at home,” Cross said. “He says something like: ‘Hey, honey, where do your mother and father think you are today?’ ”

Opponents tried three times to amend the bill to include exceptions for rape and incest, but each rider was defeated by more than 10 votes.

“The question is whether we are drafting into this bill a loophole big enough drive 5,000 abortions through,” Sen. Ben Bagert argued.

That argument was countered by Sen. Jon Johnson.