Bad news for reproductive freedom in Louisiana: 

Women in Louisiana could lose all access to abortion services if the state succeeds in enacting a secretive overhaul of its clinic regulations. The requirements are so stringent that not one of the five clinics currently operating in Louisiana would meet them, according to a lawyer advising the clinics. The new regulatory framework would also impose a de facto thirty-day waiting period for many women—an exceptional requirement.

“What it amounts to is a back-door abortion ban,” said Ellie Schilling, a New Orleans attorney. “The way the [Department of Health and Hospitals] went about passing these regulations was in a secretive and undemocratic way. The public definitely doesn’t know what’s going on.” [The Nation]

A 30-day waiting period would almost certainly be deemed unconstitutional if this provision is challenged in court. If anything constitutes an undue burden on a woman’s right to choose, a needless monthlong delay would surely qualify. Medically speaking, a 4-week delay would impose additional risk and expense on many women seeking abortions. The further along a woman is in her pregnancy, the more difficult and expensive the procedure becomes.