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House health committee to debate new abortion rule

by Patrick Flanagan

A proposal to add new restrictions on abortion providers in Louisiana gets its first legislative hearing, before the House health care committee.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A proposal to add new restrictions on abortion providers in Louisiana gets its first legislative hearing, before the House health care committee.

Rep. Katrina Jackson, a Democrat from Monroe, is sponsoring a bill that would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. It's similar to a controversial restriction recently passed in Texas.

Jackson says the proposal would enact "common-sense safety standards" to protect women's health.

Abortion rights supporters say if lawmakers pass the new requirement, it would force the closure of three of Louisiana's five abortion clinics - and leave none open south of Shreveport.

The House Health and Welfare Committee is scheduled to hear the proposal Wednesday.

Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal backs the bill.