Louisiana House to debate constitutional measure on abortion

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana voters may get a chance to decide whether to add language into the state constitution establishing that the foundational document doesn't protect abortion rights.

Lawmakers started advancing the anti-abortion proposal Tuesday, with the House civil law committee agreeing without objection to send it to the full House for debate.

The provision could become important if the U.S. Supreme Court ever reverses the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

Proposal supporters say if states get to determine whether abortion is allowed, courts couldn't cite the state constitution to keep Louisiana from banning the procedure.

The measure is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Katrina Jackson of Monroe and supported by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. The constitutional change requires support from two-thirds of lawmakers and from voters in October for adoption.