There's a growing conflict between states that recognize a fundamental right to make end-of-life decisions and those that override those wishes only when a person is pregnant.
The ten-point agenda would codify a woman's right to choose an abortion, attempt to reduce gender-based pay discrimination, and strengthen protections for survivors of abuse.
"It’s just a fake front issue to talk about abortion," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said of HR 7, the anti-choice bill passed just hours before Tuesday's State of the Union address. "What they’re really talking about is contraception, family planning, the judgment of women."
Republican state lawmakers have introduced bills that would require admitting privileges at local hospitals for doctors who perform abortions, that would add further requirements to the state's informed consent law, and that would modify the medication abortion law that was ruled unconstitutional by the state supreme court.
A state senate committee heard arguments this week for enacting a 25-foot patient safety zone, while several anti-choice bills have been introduced in the house.
Rep. Timothy Jones (R-Eureka) introduced HB 1430, which, according to the bill language, would apply to medical professionals refusing to participate in procedures that include surgical and medication abortions, contraception, assisted reproduction, human cloning, and human embryonic stem-cell research.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has made it a top priority to remove the commonwealth from the list of 25 states that have declined to expand the number of individuals eligible for Medicaid under Obamacare. On Monday, House Speaker William Howell (R-Stafford) said his majority caucus is not going to play along.
Monday night, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals told Rewire that it will "be rescinding the language regarding the 30-day period for blood tests," and that it intends to "clarify" the building requirements for abortion facilities.
