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Committee declines to advance bill creating abortion exception for minors raped; motion to report fails, then bill deferred
Summary
House Bill 2 15, which would have created an exception to Louisiana abortion laws for children under 17 who are raped, received extensive public testimony from survivors and opponents. The committee voted against reporting the bill favorably (yeas 3, nays 9) and then deferred it at the author’s request.
Representative Boyd presented House Bill 2 15 on June 2, 2025, proposing an exception to the state’s abortion laws for children under age 17 who become pregnant as the result of rape. The bill drew lengthy testimony from survivor advocates, survivors who spoke about long‑term trauma, and opponents who said abortion deepened some survivors’ harms.
Representative Boyd said the measure is intended to allow families — not the state — to make decisions about children who conceive from rape and described the change as narrowly targeted at minors: “The changes I've made is having it specifically for children, under the age of 17 that might be raped,” she told the committee.
Multiple witnesses in support described personal or client experiences. Morgan LaMondre of STAR said the organization is “unapologetically pro survivor” and supports survivors’ access to options, including abortion. Survivor Audrey Westcomb testified in graphic detail about childhood sexual abuse and said lawmakers should show mercy for child survivors. In contrast, Sarah Zagorski, communications director for Louisiana Right to Life, opposed the bill and urged the committee to “focus on punishing perpetrators and not babies.” Dustin Bertram, who testified in opposition, described being born after his mother was sexually assaulted and urged the committee to consider the life of the child.
Legislators spoke at length. Representative Moore and Representative Knox offered emotionally charged remarks about their personal and constituent experiences; Vice Chair LaFleur and Representative Walters expressed support for leaving the decision to families in these extreme cases. Representative Barnes (chair identified as Chair Bakula in the transcript) and other members raised statutory and medical questions, including that current law allows medical interventions when a pregnancy is life‑threatening.
Representative Walters moved to report HB 2 15 favorably; the motion failed on a roll call that recorded three yeas (Representative Knox, Representative LaFleur and Representative Walters) and nine nays. The clerk announced: “The yeas are 3 and the nays are 9.” After the failed motion, a motion to defer the bill was made and accepted; the committee deferred HB 2 15 at the author’s request.
The hearing record shows broad public engagement: the committee registered green (support), red (oppose) and white (informational) witness cards from multiple organizations including STAR, LIFT Louisiana and Louisiana Trans Advocates, and both survivor witnesses and anti‑abortion advocates provided testimony. The committee’s action leaves the bill in deferred status pending further consideration or redrafting.
