Louisiana House Backs Ban On Abortions Based On Gender

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana  House has agreed to prohibit abortions based on gender, despite questions about whether provisions in the bill that allow for lawsuits and damage claims go too far.

Rep. Lenar Whitney, a Houma Republican, described her bill Thursday as protecting "baby girls" from discrimination.

Rep. Walt Leger, a New Orleans Democrat, raised several concerns about language that would allow lawsuits and injunction requests against doctors who perform an abortion if gender discrimination is alleged.

He also said a requirement that a woman know the sex of the fetus if determinable seems to encourage lawsuits. Whitney denied that was her intention.

Despite his concerns, Leger was among 81 members of the House who voted to send the measure to the Senate for consideration. Only two House members voted against it.

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