HLS 25RS-1030 ORIGINAL
2025 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 425
BY REPRESENTATIVE CARLSON
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
ABORTION: Provides relative to coerced abortion and reporting requirements
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 14:87.6 and R.S. 40:2175.7(A)(1), relative to abortion; to
3 provide relative to the crime of coerced abortion; to provide relative to the elements
4 of coerced abortion; to provide for circumstances that constitute coerced abortion;
5 to provide for penalties; to provide relative to mandatory reporting; and to provide
6 for related matters.
7Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 14:87.6 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
9 §87.6. Coerced abortion
10 A. Coerced abortion is committed when any person intentionally knowingly
11 engages in the use or threatened use of physical force, control, or intimidation
12 against the person of a pregnant woman, with the intent to compel the pregnant
13 woman to undergo an abortion against her will, whether or not the abortion
14 procedure has been attempted or completed. Such means of force, control, or
15 intimidation shall include but not be limited to any of the following:
16 (1) Physical force or actual or implied threats of physical force.
17 (2) Exploitation of needs for food, shelter, safety, affection, or intimate or
18 marital relationships.
19 (3) Restraint of movement.
20 (4) Destruction of property.
Page 1 of 5
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 25RS-1030 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 425
1 (5) Kidnapping.
2 (6) Defining the terms of an individual's employment or working conditions
3 in a manner that may foreseeably lead to the individual seeking or obtaining an
4 abortion.
5 (7) Blackmail.
6 (8) Extortion or claims of indebtedness.
7 (9) Threat of legal complaints or report of delinquency.
8 (10) Threat of interference with parental rights or responsibilities, whether
9 by judicial or administrative action or otherwise.
10 (11) Promise of legal benefit, such as the posting of bail, procurement of an
11 attorney, or protection from arrest.
12 (12) Promise of financial reward.
13 (13) Restraint of speech or communication with others, such as exploitation
14 of a language difference, or interference with the use of mail, telephone, or money.
15 (14) Isolation of an individual from others.
16 (15) Exploitation of a condition of developmental disability, cognitive
17 limitation, affective disorder, or substance dependency.
18 (16) Exploitation of previous victimization caused by sexual abuse or
19 battery.
20 (17) Exploitation of a pornographic performance.
21 (18) Interference with opportunities for education or skills training.
22 B. Whoever commits the crime of coerced abortion shall be fined not more
23 than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more
24 than five years, or both.
25 Section 2. R.S. 40:2175.7(A)(1) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
26 §2175.7. Mandatory reports to law enforcement; human trafficking awareness and
27 prevention training
28 A.(1) Notwithstanding any claim of privileged communication, any
29 mandatory reporter to law enforcement who has cause to believe that a minor or
Page 2 of 5
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 25RS-1030 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 425
1 adult female who presents at an outpatient abortion facility is a victim of human
2 trafficking, trafficking of children for sexual purposes, rape, incest crime against
3 nature, or coerced abortion shall report such crime immediately, or no later than the
4 end of the business day, to the sheriff's department in the parish or local police
5 department where the outpatient abortion facility is located. If the victim does not
6 reside in the parish where the outpatient abortion facility is located, the mandatory
7 reporter to law enforcement shall also report the crime to the law enforcement
8 agency in the parish or county in which the victim resides, if reasonably
9 ascertainable.
10 * * *
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)]
HB 425 Original 2025 Regular Session Carlson
Abstract: Provides relative to the crime of coerced abortion and for mandatory reporting.
Present law (R.S. 14:87.6) provides for the crime of coerced abortion.
Proposed law retains present law.
Present law (R.S. 14:87.6(A)) provides that coerced abortion is committed when any person
intentionally engages in the use or threatened use of physical force against the person of a
pregnant woman, with the intent to compel the pregnant woman to undergo an abortion
against her will, whether or not the abortion procedure has been attempted or completed.
Proposed law amends present law to provide that coerced abortion is committed when any
person knowingly rather than intentionally, engages in the use or threatened use of force,
control, or intimidation rather than the use of physical force, against a pregnant woman
rather than the person of a pregnant woman, to undergo an abortion against her will, whether
or not the abortion procedure has been attempted or completed.
Proposed law provides that such means of use or threatened use of force, control, or
intimidation shall include but not be limited to any of the following:
(1)Physical force or actual or implied threats of physical force.
(2)Exploitation of any of the following:
(a)Needs for food, shelter, safety, affection, or intimate or marital relationships.
(b)A condition of developmental disability, cognitive limitation, affective
disorder, or substance dependency.
Page 3 of 5
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 25RS-1030 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 425
(c)Previous victimization caused by sexual abuse or battery.
(d)A pornographic performance.
(3)Restraint of any of the following:
(a)Movement.
(b)Speech or communication with others, such as exploitation of a language
difference, or interference with the use of mail, telephone, or money.
(4)Destruction of property.
(5)Kidnapping.
(6)Defining the terms of an individual’s employment or working conditions in a manner
that may foreseeably lead to the individual seeking or obtaining an abortion.
(7)Blackmail.
(8)Extortion or claims of indebtedness.
(9)Threat of any of the following:
(a)Legal complaints or report of delinquency.
(b)Interference with parental rights or responsibilities, whether by judicial or
administrative action or otherwise.
(10)Promise of any of the following:
(a)Legal benefit, such as the posting of bail, procurement of an attorney, or
protection from arrest.
(b)Financial award.
(11)Isolation of an individual from others.
(12)Interference with opportunities for education or skills training.
Present law (R.S. 14:87.6(B)) provides that whoever commits the crime of coerced abortion
shall be fined not more than $5,000, imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.
Proposed law amends present law to provide that the term of imprisonment shall be served
with or without hard labor.
Present law (R.S. 40:2175.7) provides for mandatory reports to law enforcement.
Proposed law retains present law.
Present law (R.S. 40:2175.7(A)) provides that any mandatory reporter to law enforcement
who has cause to believe that a minor or adult female who presents at an outpatient abortion
facility is a victim of human trafficking, trafficking of children for sexual purposes, rape,
incest, or coerced abortion shall report such crime immediately, or no later than the end of
the business day, to the sheriff's department in the parish or local police department where
the outpatient abortion facility is located.
Page 4 of 5
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 25RS-1030 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 425
Present law further provides that if the victim does not reside in the parish where the
outpatient abortion facility is located, the mandatory reporter to law enforcement shall also
report the crime to the law enforcement agency in the parish or county in which the victim
resides, if reasonably ascertainable.
Proposed law amends present law to remove the condition that the minor or adult female
present at an outpatient abortion facility. Further changes the reference of "incest" to "crime
against nature".
Proposed law deletes the provision of present law relative to reporting requirements when
the victim does not reside in the parish where the outpatient abortion facility is located.
(Amends R.S. 14:87.6 and R.S. 40:2175.7(A)(1) )
Page 5 of 5
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.