Louisiana Governor Plans to Sign Anti-Abortion Law

The New York Times reports an update:

Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's office said Tuesday that she would shortly sign into law a strict ban on abortion that would permit abortion only in the case where a woman's life was threatened by pregnancy.

Roderick K. Hawkins, deputy press secretary to the governor, said that the abortion bill had not yet reached Ms. Blanco, but that she planned to sign it as soon as possible.

Although Ms. Blanco, a Democrat, has supported exceptions for rape and incest in the past, Mr. Hawkins said she found solace in the bill's "safety measures" that protect the life of the pregnant woman.

"The governor has always been a pro-life person," Mr. Hawkins said, "and this fits into her beliefs of supporting life and being anti-abortion. Plus, this had overwhelming bipartisan support of the Legislature."