HLS 22RS-3513 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 138
BY REPRESENTATIVE LANDRY
ABORTION: Requests a study of state laws relative to abortion
1 A RESOLUTION
2To urge and request that the chairman of the House Committee on the Administration of
3 Criminal Justice form a subcommittee to receive testimony from certain parties with
4 relevant expertise for the purpose of studying the current status of Louisiana laws
5 that have a potential impact of criminally or civilly penalizing individuals who
6 miscarry, experience a stillbirth, seek an abortion, or attempt to self-manage an
7 abortion.
8 WHEREAS, in 2017, approximately eight hundred sixty-two thousand three hundred
9twenty abortions were provided in clinical settings in the United States. In 2017, nine
10thousand nine hundred twenty abortions were provided in Louisiana, constituting one and
11two-tenths percent of all abortions in the United States; and
12 WHEREAS, medical providers provide abortion services through medication
13abortions or surgical abortion procedures; and
14 WHEREAS, historically, the prohibition against abortion has often resulted in severe
15medical problems or death for women who seek to induce their own abortions or seek out
16unsafe alternatives to invoke the abortion; and
17 WHEREAS, Louisiana has numerous laws that may civilly or criminally penalize an
18individual who seeks to have an abortion or attempts to self-manage an abortion; and
19 WHEREAS, according to medical professionals who testified to the House
20Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice, it is not possible for emergency
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HR NO. 138
1medical providers to definitively determine if a woman presenting with emergency
2pregnancy complications is experiencing a miscarriage or abortion; and
3 WHEREAS, a study is needed to determine if current Louisiana laws may
4unintentionally or intentionally implicate individuals who miscarry, experience a stillbirth,
5seek out an abortion, or self-manage an abortion.
6 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
7Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the chairman of the House Committee
8on the Administration of Criminal Justice to form a subcommittee comprised of members
9of the committee to solicit input, advice, and recommendations from certain parties with
10relevant expertise on the potential civil and criminal implication of Louisiana laws on
11individuals who miscarry, experience a stillbirth, seek out an abortion, or attempt to self-
12manage an abortion.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the subcommittee established by this Resolution
14shall report to the House of Representatives its findings and any recommendations to resolve
15the issues discovered no later than February 1, 2023, in a format to be determined by the
16subcommittee established by this Resolution.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the subcommittee established by this Resolution
18shall solicit input, advice, and recommendations from representatives of the following
19organizations and professions with relevant knowledge regarding the potential penalization
20of abortion:
21 (1) Louisiana Department of Health.
22 (2) Louisiana Department of Justice.
23 (3) Louisiana State Medical Society.
24 (4) Louisiana Right to Life.
25 (5) Lift Louisiana.
26 (6) Obstetrics or gynecology medical providers.
27 (7) Emergency medical providers.
28 (8) Local public defenders.
29 (9) Local district attorneys.
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HR NO. 138
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
2secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and the attorney general of the Louisiana
3Department of Justice.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the subcommittee established by this Resolution
5shall submit one print copy and one electronic copy of any report produced pursuant to this
6Resolution to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library as required by R.S. 24:772.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 138 Original 2022 Regular Session Landry
Requests the chairman of the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice
form a subcommittee comprised of members of the committee to solicit input, advice, and
recommendations from individuals with relevant expertise on the potential civil and criminal
penalization of individuals who seek out an abortion or seek to self-manage an abortion.
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