BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Nearly three decades ago, when Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' wife was 20 weeks pregnant with their first child, a doctor discovered their daughter had spina bifida and encouraged an abortion. The Edwardses refused.
1 / 2FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018 file photo, Gov. John Bel Edwards talks about an expected $300 million-plus surplus Louisiana will have from the last budget year in Baton Rouge, La. Nearly three decades ago, when Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ wife was 20 weeks pregnant with their first child, a doctor discovered their daughter had spina bifida and encouraged an abortion. The Edwardses refused.
Edwards, who has repeatedly bucked national party leaders on abortion rights, is about to do it again. He's ready to sign legislation that would ban the procedure as early as six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant, when the bill reaches his desk. A rarity in his party, Edwards' anti-abortion stance provokes angry outcries on social media from Democratic voters and disappointment within the party's broader ranks across the country.
This year's so-called heartbeat bill, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. John Milkovich, has received little public opposition from lawmakers as it steadily advances. The ban, however, only would take effect if a federal appeals court upholds a similar law in Mississippi. Edwards' embrace of the anti-abortion legislation is unusual for a present-day Democratic governor, Nash said, although that was not always the case.
"That's the way I was raised. That's what my Catholic Christian faith requires," the governor said on his monthly radio show."I know that for many in the national party, on the national scene, that's not a good fit. But I will tell you, here in Louisiana, I speak and meet with Democrats who are pro-life every single day."
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