Louisiana abortion rape exception.

Louisiana lawmakers have for the third consecutive year rejected a bill that would have added some rape cases to the narrow list of exceptions to the state’s abortion ban. Two Democrats sided with Republicans on Tuesday in rejecting the bill that would have allowed abortion in cases where the victim is under the age of 17 and impregnated as a result of the sexual offense. Adding exceptions to Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban has been an ongoing battle for advocates in the reliably red state that’s firmly ensconced in the Bible Belt. Tuesday’s legislative committee hearing was emotional and filled with religious themes. The measure failed on a 3-9 vote.