Louisiana Voice

That collection of clowns that descends upon Baton Rouge each Spring, along with Jeff Landry, already have egg on their collective faces – or at least those responsible for the passage of Senate Bill 276 do.

Here’s why.

On May 21, the HOUSE, by a vote of 65-31 (with nine not voting), gave its final approval to the BILL which classified mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances over the objections of more than 200 doctors who signed a letter to legislators warning that the proposed law could pose as a “barrier” to treatment of patients. The SENATE voted two days later 29-7 in favor with two members not voting. Landry, in his haste make sure that Louisiana would be the first to enact such a statute, SIGNED it into law the very next day, on May 24.

The bill was the brainchild of State Sen. Thomas Pressly (R-Shreveport).

Perhaps it should have been aborted before its ignoble birth.

Because, on Thursday (June 13), exactly three short weeks after Senate passage, BAM! The U.S. Supreme Court, in a rare show of unanimity, RULED the opponents of abortion lacked the legal right to sue over the federal Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone.

Nothing like trying to jump out in front of the parade only to learn it took a left turn about three blocks back.

It’s just one more example of how the Louisiana Legislature – and Jeff Landry – are so hell-bent on appeasing the far-right evangelicals that they’ll approve any kneejerk legislation if they think it will garner them votes. Congress long sense abandoned any pretense at trying to decide what was best for the country in favor of what is best for the individual parties and for lawmakers’ reelection. When a member of Congress openly declares that it is the intent to do nothing that would aid a sitting President, it’s only too obvious that our elected officials in Washington have lost their moral compass – if, indeed, they ever possessed one.

Now, we know in all certainty that that mentality has worked its way down to Baton Rouge and other statehouses.

The legislature’s silly eagerness to pass SB 276 – and Landry’s equally silly eagerness to sign it into law – evokes memories of more than 60 years ago when Leander Perez insisted on resisting the implementation of civil rights in Louisiana. Gov. Earl Long, not long before his celebrated mental breakdown but still in full possession of his biting wit, shouted at Perez from the halls of the legislature, “Whatcha gonna do now, Leander? The feds have the A-bomb!”

Well, to the Louisiana Legislature and Landry, I would say, “Whatcha gonna do now? The most conservative Supreme Court in this country’s history has spoken!”

The answer, I suppose, should be fairly obvious. Landry will direct his sock puppet attorney general, Liz Murrill, to hire some white-shoe law firm at something between $500 and $1,000 an hour to file meaningless litigation to preserve the state’s sacred laws.