Louisiana can't wait for SCOTUS to overturn Roe

Louisiana lawmakers move to make abortion a homicide; Boris Johnson’s Conservative party loses seats in local elections.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Louisiana lawmakers advance a bill making abortion a homicide

Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images

• Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill on Wednesday that gives constitutional rights to the unborn at the moment of fertilization and makes abortion a homicide. [Guardian / Martin Pengelly]
• The Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act passed committee 7-2 after a leaked draft opinion suggested the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade. The legislation now heads to the state’s House of Representatives for a vote. [NBC News / Tim Stelloh]
• Louisiana is one of 13 states with so-called trigger laws that immediately ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe. However, this bill’s supporters argue that the $1,000 fine for abortion providers does not go far enough. [Washington Post / Caroline Kitchener]
• Until now, anti-abortion advocates have avoided pursuing criminal charges against a person who gets an abortion and have focused instead on punishing providers. The Louisiana bill marks a considerable escalation. [New York Times / Rick Rojas]
• Critics of the bill say it changes the definition of homicide and criminal battery to allow the state to charge a pregnant person who has an abortion at any stage. It would also make many forms of birth control and in vitro fertilization illegal. [Reuters / Gabriella Borter and Sharon Bernstein]

A voting booth rebuke to UK’s conservatives

• The UK Conservative Party lost hundreds of seats in local elections, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government over recent scandals and dissatisfaction with the economy. [Reuters / Andrew Macaskill and Elizabeth Piper]
• With 75 percent of the British vote counted, the opposition Labour Party picked up 35 percent of seats to the Conservatives 30 percent — the biggest local election lead for Labour in a decade. Other opposition parties gained, too. [BBC]
• Conservatives have been under fire in recent weeks for a stalling economy. Voters were also angry over the “Partygate” scandal that saw Johnson fined for attending a party during Covid-19 lockdowns. The investigation is ongoing, with more fines possible for the prime minister. [Associated Press / Jill Lawless]
• Johnson acknowledged the “tough night” on Friday. The midterm election is considered a test of his popularity ahead of the general election in 2024. [Washington Post / Karla Adam and Amanda Ferguson]

This week, a GOP candidate accused of murdering his wife won a primary election from jail. [HuffPost / Lee Moran]

• Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said a gas leak caused an explosion that killed at least nine people and injured dozens at a Havana Hotel on Friday. [NBC]
• On Thursday, the FDA limited emergency authorization of the J&J vaccine to people 18 or older who lack access to other vaccines or who otherwise would not get vaccinated. [CNN / Katherine Dillinger]
• Deforestation in the Amazon hit record levels in April, losing an area equivalent to the size of 1,400 football fields. [Al Jazeera]

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“We cannot wait on the Supreme Court.”

[Republican Louisiana state Rep. Danny McCormick, on lawmakers’ new abortion criminalization proposals / Reuters]

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