Emboldened by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a group of Republican lawmakers, self-proclaimed “abolitionists,” are seeking to make abortion laws more restrictive and the consequences of having the procedure more punitive than ever before.
Louisiana State Rep. Danny McCormick has teamed up with other conservative politicians to go on a radical mission against women. They are adamant that a woman who receives an abortion should receive the same criminal consequences as a murderer.
Under a bill they promoted, pregnant people could face murder charges even if they were raped or doctors determined the procedure was needed to save their own life, CNN reports. Additionally, doctors who attempted to help patients conceive through in-vitro fertilization, a fertility treatment used by millions of Americans, could also be locked up for destroying embryos, and contraception such as Plan B would be banned.
“The taking of a life is murder, and it is illegal,” McCormick told a committee of state lawmakers who considered the bill in May, right after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked.
“No compromises, no more waiting,” Brian Gunter, a pastor who suggested McCormick be the one to introduce the legislation, told the committee.
according to CNN, “only four people –all women– spoke against the bill during the committee meeting. They pleaded with the lawmakers to grasp the gravity of the proposed restrictions, which went farther than any state abortion law currently on the books, and warned of unintended consequences.
“We need to take a deep breath,” said Melissa Flournoy, a former state representative who runs the progressive advocacy group 10,000 Women Louisiana. She said the bill would only punish women and that there wasn’t enough responsibility being placed on men.
Seven men on the committee, all Republicans, voted in favor of the bill, moving it one step closer to becoming law. An Independent, and a Democrat voted against it.
