{"id":373613,"date":"2016-03-31T21:35:24","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/louisiana-law\/louisiana-abortion-laws.html"},"modified":"2024-11-18T16:56:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T21:56:42","slug":"louisiana-abortion-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/louisiana-law\/louisiana-abortion-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana Abortion Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Louisiana Abortion Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by FindLaw Staff<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Abortion is illegal in Louisiana unless medically necessary to save the life of the mother. There are exceptions, including cases where the fetus is "medically futile."<\/p>\r\n

Even though Roe v. Wade<\/i><\/a> made abortions legal in 1973, many states, including Louisiana, had abortion restrictions in place. Long before the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the landmark case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization<\/i><\/a> in 2022, lawmakers in Louisiana enacted a trigger ban that would make abortion illegal if the court overturned Roe<\/i>.<\/p>\r\n

This law, which then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco passed in 2006, would create a near-total abortion ban<\/a> and make it a crime for health care providers to perform abortions or distribute abortion medication.<\/p>\r\n

On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs<\/i>, Sen. Katrina Jackson (D-Monroe) proposed Senate Bill 342<\/a>. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the bill in June 2022. The law is the "Louisiana Right to Life Act" or the "Human Life Protection Act."<\/p>\r\n

Besides this near-total abortion ban, Louisiana also made it a crime to deliver abortion medications to Louisiana residents via mail<\/a>. Anyone guilty of doing this faces criminal penalties.<\/p>\r\n

Impact of Supreme Court Decision in <\/b>Dobbs<\/i><\/h2>\r\n

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade<\/i><\/a> in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization<\/i>, holding that the power to regulate and ban abortion care would revert to the states.<\/p>\r\n

Once the Supreme Court released the decision to the public, Edwards announced that SB 342 would take effect immediately. Louisiana lawmakers implemented more abortion restrictions in 2024.<\/p>\r\n

Two of the critical pieces of abortion legislation lawmakers passed in 2024 include:<\/p>\r\n