Louisiana’s Senate voted 34-4 Tuesday to approve legislation [HB 386 materials] that would extend the current 24-hour abortion waiting period to 72 hours. Supporters have hailed the legislation as an attempt to give women more time to make the decision to abort, while opponents claim it is a thinly veiled attempt to increase barriers for women seeking abortion. The bill, which has already been approved by the House, must now return to the House for final approval, but it is expected to pass. The measure would then go before Governor John Bel Edwards, who is expected to sign it into law [Advocate report]. If approved, the bill would make Louisiana the sixth state with a 72-hour waiting period.

In March the US Supreme Court temporarily blocked [JURIST report] a Louisiana abortion law that would require abortion doctors to have admitting privileges in a nearby hospital and significant surgical upgrades to abortion centers. In a one-sentence order, the court reinstated the stay initially put in place by the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana and vacated [JURIST report] by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit [official websites] in late February. Critics of the law say it is unduly burdensome to women, arguing that if the law is enforced, all except one abortion clinic in the state would be forced to shut down. Proponents contend that the law is legitimate in light of the state’s interest in regulating health.