On June 26, 2007, the Louisiana state legislature approved a ban on dilation and extraction (D&X) abortions — commonly referred to as "partial-birth" abortions. The legislation also established fines between $10,000 and $100,000 and a jail term ranging from one to ten years for any physician who performs a partial-birth abortion when it is not necessary to save the life of the mother. The Louisiana law, which was later signed into law by the governor, mirrored the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban of 2003 which was upheld by the US Supreme Court in Gonzales v. Carhart.

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