Monday 6 June 2022 09:07 PM Jean-Pierre: Louisiana abortion bill is 'latest in growing attack against ... trends now
President Joe Biden's top spokeswoman on Monday slammed Louisiana's new law that would increase the criminal consequences on healthcare professionals who provide abortions.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the new law from the deep red state's legislature is part of a 'growing attack against the fundamental freedoms of Americans.'
'Louisiana's extreme bill will criminalize abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest and punish reproductive healthcare professionals with up to ten years in prison,' Jean-Pierre wrote in a Monday statement in response to the abortion law.
'The President is committed to protecting the constitutional rights of Americans afforded by Roe for nearly 50 years, and ensuring that women can make their own choices about their lives, bodies, and families,' she added. 'An overwhelming majority of the American people agree and reject these kinds of radical measures.'
Jean-Pierre is referencing recent polls that show more than half of Americans consider themselves pro-choice and around two-thirds are in favor of keeping Roe v. Wade in tact.
Louisiana's bill passed Thursday that would increase prison terms for abortion providers from a maximum of five years to 10 years and raises fines from a range of $5,000 – $50,000 to between $10,000 – $100,000.
These consequences would only go into effect if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, which it is expected to do later this month, according to a draft document that was leaked in May.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement Monday slamming a new Louisiana law that would increase criminal consequences for abortion providers if Roe v. Wade is overturned
'The Louisiana legislature has taken the latest step in a growing attack against the fundamental freedoms of Americans,' Jean-Pierre wrote
Louisiana is one of the 13 states that has so-called 'trigger laws', along with Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming,
These trigger laws would immediately ban all abortion once Roe v. Wade is overturned.
The Supreme Court is issuing its opinions for the term at the end of June – and anticipated as part of that is a full overturn of the 50-year-old landmark abortion ruling that constitutionally protected a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion was leaked last month showing an overturn to Roe v. Wade along with the support of three other conservative justices; Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.
Chief Justice John Roberts said that he would not support an entire overturn, although he does support the Mississippi case that brought the issue before the Supreme Court in the first place that would make abortion illegal after 15 weeks into a pregnancy.
With a 6-3 conservative majority on the bench, Roberts' defection doesn't make a difference in determining the opinion.
Roberts immediately launched an investigation into the leaked draft opinion – at the same time confirming the validity of
