La. gov. signs bill increasing wait time between mandatory ultrasound, abortion

Jun 8 2012

The bill signed by Bobby Jindal would also require abortion providers to offer women the opportunity to listen to the fetal heartbeat. In other abortion news, a Michigan legislative panel endorses a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

New Orleans Times-Picayune:  Gov. Bobby Jindal Signs New Abortion Restrictions Into Law
Gov. Bobby Jindal signed bills Thursday increasing the waiting time between a mandatory ultrasound and an abortion, requiring abortion providers to describe the results of that procedure to the woman and offer to let her hear the fetus' heartbeat and prohibiting anyone who is not a physician from performing abortions.  The new restrictions add to requirements that are already considered some of the most stringent abortion regulations in the country, according to groups that support abortion rights (Adelson and Anderson, 6/7).

MLive:  Sweeping Abortion Legislation Would Affect Insurance And Doctors
A Republican-led Michigan House committee has approved broad proposals that would raise insurance requirements and increase regulations for some doctors performing abortions. The bills approved Thursday by the House Health Policy Committee also combine or expand upon many other bills that already have been sponsored recently in the Legislature. Those include proposals that prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy except in cases where the mother's life is in danger and make it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion (Martin, 6/7).

The Associated Press/Detroit Free Press: State House Panel Approves New Regulations For Abortions
A package of measures aimed at restricting and regulating abortion practices cleared a key hurdle Thursday in a Michigan House committee and could get a floor vote as early as next week. Proposals include requiring a doctor or assistant to do screening before an abortion to ensure a pregnant woman isn't being coerced, banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and enacting new regulations related to the disposal of fetal remains. The Republican-led House panel dealt with the bills that contain pieces of legislation that had been introduced or approved in the Legislature but was introduced in its current form only last week (Karoub, 6/8).