A Louisiana lawmaker says he wants to avoid the scenario that unfolded last year in Alabama, where clinics offering in vitro fertilization closed their doors rather than risk legal liability based on a new interpretation of a 19th century law.
The matter has pitted some conservative Republicans, who normally take the same side on reproductive health issues, against one another. It also provides a glimpse into the national debate over IVF, which proponents fear could be threatened under Trump administration policy.
Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, received committee approval Tuesday for Senate Bill 156, which he said “is essential for IVF to continue in Louisiana.” But the proposal’s language had to be massaged to get the backing of one staunch anti-abortion lawmaker. Even then, the measure is still opposed by the state’s top two anti-abortion groups.
Senate Health and Welfare Committee member Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, stood firm on making a change to the definition of embryo in Pressly’s proposal. As a state representative, he authored a 2016 law to prohibit abortions for genetic abnormalities.
Originally, Pressly’s bill referred to an “in vitro fertilized human embryo” as one that “has certain rights granted by law … and organized that it may develop in utero into an unborn child.” Edmonds amended the proposal to define an embryo as “biologically human,” removing any reference to whether it actually develops into a child.
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These seemingly subtle differences in language could become critical if its final version creates a situation similar to what happened last year in Alabama. Its state Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos outside the womb are considered children under the law, citing an 1872 statute that allows lawsuits for the wrongful death of a child. Fearing potential legal consequences from embryos that become nonviable – even through no fault of their own – IVF clinics in Alabama shut down.
The Alabama Legislature then scrambled to approve civil and criminal protections for IVF providers, leading clinics to reopen. There remain concerns, however, over whether long-term access will remain available.
The Trump administration’s cuts to federal health care programs have served to reinforce such worries about the future of IVF. Staff reductions at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will curtail research into IVF and other fertility treatments, experts say.
The changes have unfolded rapidly, even though Trump referred to himself as the “fertilization president” after signing an executive order last month to expand fertility treatment access. A separate order from Trump in February sought policy direction on IVF, yet Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency went ahead with the CDC attrition plans.
Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge. (Allison Allsop/Louisiana Illuminator)
Anti-abortion groups back status quo
Louisiana Right to Life and Louisiana Family Forum oppose Pressly’s bill. Both groups were at the forefront of creating one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans three years ago after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The landmark 1973 opinion declared women have a constitutional right to an abortion, but it also said states could regulate when the procedure is allowed. With the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022, justices removed the federal right to an abortion and opened doors to outright state bans.
During Tuesday’s committee hearing, Pressly insisted his proposal was essential to ensure IVF remains available to 1 in 6 families that struggle with infertility, citing numbers the World Health Organization has used. It has been nearly 40 years since Louisiana has updated its IVF statute, and health technology improvements in the interim need to be reflected in the law, the senator said.
Kathleen Benfield, legislative director with Louisiana Family Forum, told the committee the Pressly proposal is unnecessary because the state’s IVF law has never been challenged.
“Not one example has been given where the practice of in vitro fertilization or any other artificial reproduction technology has been threatened (in Louisiana), and I don’t think it will be threatened,” Benfield said.
Even with Edmonds’ amendment, the bill’s language was still problematic for Benfield. She took issue with describing a “viable in vitro fertilized embryo” as a “juridical person,” or an entity that has the same rights in law as a person but is not a human being.
Put another way, Pressly’s bill doesn’t go nearly far enough to treat embryos as children, according to Benfield. A juridical person is “not the same thing as a natural person,” she said.
Last year, anti-abortion forces pushed to change to an IVF protection bill Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, sponsored. She shelved her bill when rather than include the term “biological human beings” in it, fearing it could lead to criminal consequences for reproductive care providers.
Davis has authored another version of her bill this year, but it has yet to be scheduled for a House committee hearing in the lawmaking session that ends June 12.
Erica Inzina, policy director for Louisiana Right to Life, said the state’s current IVF law has room for improvement, but it still offers the most protection for human embryos of any state. Pressly’s bill would weaken those safeguards, she said.
“It leaves the embryo looking a lot more like a thing rather than a person,” Inzina told the committee.
‘We’re quibbling’
The proposed changes are the product of a rather unusual partnership: Pressly, who gained approval for a first-of-its-kind abortion drug restriction; and Katie Bliss, an attorney whose firm specializes in in vitro fertilization contracts.
Pressly, who joined the Senate last year after four years as a state representative, authored a law in 2024 that treats mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled dangerous substances. Both medications are used in abortions but have other applications, including lifesaving ones. The Schedule IV status puts them on par with drugs that have addiction and abuse potential, meaning hospitals have to keep them under lock and key.
Some health care providers have said the added layers of security for controlled dangerous substances put women’s lives at risk when, for example, misoprostol is needed immediately to stop postpartum hemorrhaging.
Bliss has two children conceived through IVF. She said the revisions to existing law are needed to protect patients and physicians while also ensuring care for embryos.
Louisiana is the only state that’s made the destruction of embryos illegal, and conservative lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully in the past to stop patients from shipping embryos out of state for disposal. Such measures are unconstitutional, Bliss said, because one state can’t tell another state how to conduct business.
Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, attempted last year to end embryo transports across state lines, but the amendment he tried to attach to another lawmaker’s bill was ruled irrelevant to the original proposal and therefore was not allowed.
Pressly said his bill covers this scenario because it would make any IVF contract null and void if it includes a provision for the intentional destruction of an embryo.
Edmonds also objected to the removal of the terms “married couple” and “parental” from a section of existing IVF law that deals with embryo donations. Instead, “person” is used to describe an embryo donor and recipient.
Pressly told Edmonds keeping “couple” in the law could create constitutional issues, implying it conveys bias against single people who want to start a family through IVF.
“It would be hypocritical for me to vote for a bill that would eliminate parental rights,” Edmonds said, though Pressly assured him his proposal doesn’t pose that threat.
Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, shared with other committee members that she personally had a “horrible history of miscarriages” and feared her children would have the same difficulty. Through IVF, her son and daughter-in-law have given her three of her eight grandchildren.
Mizell said she had “a hard time finding obstacles” in a bill that gives more people the opportunity to start and grow families.
“I’m listening to pro-life people argue with pro-life people,” Mizell said, who then recounted efforts during her nine years in the Senate to put strict abortion laws in place. As a result, she said Louisiana has the strongest anti-abortion laws in the nation.
“… We’re there and we’re quibbling” over language to protect IVF, she said.
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Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content predominantly discusses legislative efforts in Louisiana related to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the complex intersection of reproductive health and anti-abortion policies. The article highlights the tension between conservative lawmakers, such as Senator Thomas Pressly, and anti-abortion groups over the language used in IVF legislation. While the piece references concerns about the potential impact of federal policies under the Trump administration, including cuts to healthcare programs, it largely focuses on the state-level political dynamics and the challenges faced by reproductive healthcare providers.
The framing reflects a more conservative stance on abortion, referencing prominent anti-abortion groups and their opposition to some aspects of the proposed bill. This, combined with a detailed explanation of conservative lawmakers’ actions, positions the article as leaning Center-Right, with a specific emphasis on the protection of embryos and opposition to policies that might weaken these protections. The inclusion of Trump administration policies also highlights a broader conservative political context.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student activist detained at a Louisiana immigration facility, faces legal challenges as his attorneys argue for his release based on “egregious government misconduct” and his risk of harm if deported. His legal team contends that federal policies were violated when Khalil’s attorney was denied access to electronics during hearings. They also argue that the GEO Group, managing the detention center, unfairly restricts public access and family visits. Khalil has been detained since March, despite not being charged with a crime, and is seeking permission to hold his newborn son, which the GEO Group has denied.
The federal judge overseeing the case of a Columbia University student activist held at a Louisiana immigration detention center has deferred to the private prison company managing the facility in determining certain rules for her court.
The questioned standards come into play as Mahmoud Khalil faces his next court hearing Thursday morning at the LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, when his attorneys say they’ll file a motion to throw out the case against him for “egregious government misconduct,” namely that Khalil was arrested without a warrant. They’ll also argue that Khalil is at risk of harm by Israel “anywhere in the world” and thus cannot be removed to Syria or Algeria.
The hearing is the first since one of Khalil’s attorneys, Nora Ahmed with the American Civil Liberties Union, was prevented from bringing her laptop computer into the courtroom on the grounds of the LaSalle Detention Center for an April 11 hearing. Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans said Khalil’s attorneys must abide by policies set by the facility’s operator, the GEO Group. Ahmed was prevented from having her electronics with her, despite attorneys for the federal government being allowed to have their computers.
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Comans’ ruling gives the Trump administration an unfair advantage in the case, Ahmed said in an interview with the Illuminator.
“It facially goes to show how biased the hearing was from the get-go – that this attorney was denied all of the access to electronics that the government” had, Ahmed said.
Khalil has been held at the Lasalle Detention Center since March 8, when federal authorities took him from his Columbia University apartment building in New York City. Although he’s a legal U.S. resident, ICE officials said they had a warrant to revoke Khalil’s student visa. He’s the first person President Donald Trump sought to deport from the U.S. for his involvement in pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Motion sought formal order
Over two months after being taken into federal custody, Khalil has yet to be charged with a crime. At his April 11 hearing, Comans ruled him deportable in light of a letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating that Khalil’s activities at Columbia could have “adverse foreign policy consequences.”
According to a motion filed April 28, Ahmed was prevented from bringing her laptop and phone into that hearing, despite DOJ policy explicitly allowing counsel to have electronics. Ahmed said she had already been given permission to take her electronics inside by the ICE facility’s warden, GEO Group employee Shad Rice. GEO Group personnel handle security for the facility, including the secured area between the facility’s entrance and the courtroom doors.
Unable to bring her computer into the courtroom, Ahmed worked with a notebook and pen instead.
Judge Comans’ refusal to let Ahmed retrieve her computer is in direct violation of the Department of Justice’s policy, according to the April 29 motion. The policy states that attorneys “in proceedings before [Executive Office for Immigration Review] will be permitted to use electronic devices in EOIR courtrooms.”
After the hearing, according to the motion, Rice told Ahmed that “the Judge appeared to contradict herself” by blaming him and the GEO Group for Ahmed not being allowed to bring her laptop into the courtroom.
Jason Burke, administrator for the LaSalle Immigration Court, told the Illuminator that Justice Department rules do indeed allow Ahmed to bring her laptop to court proceedings, “but they got to get to EOIR space first. which we don’t control when we’re in a detention center.”
The GEO Group declined to answer questions regarding the matter.
In light of the confusion on April 11, the April 28 motion asked the court to ensure that Khalil’s counsel at upcoming hearings could bring their electronics into chambers.
Comans ruled May 9 that the motion was moot, writing that “should an attorney elect to appear in person, they are subject to the detention facility’s rules.”
Homero López, director of Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy in New Orleans, was startled when he learned of the judge’s order, which he described as “bulls–t.” López previously had a similar issue in 2022 at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in the Acadia Parish town of Basile. It was resolved when ICE Field Office Director Melissa Harper “clarified with Basile management that laptops will be permitted,” per emails López provided to Illuminator.
López said it was particularly surprising to have that issue at the Jena center, where, unlike other Louisiana ICE centers, the detention area and courtroom have separate entrances.
“I’ve never had to once ask anybody for additional permission to bring electronics into court” at Jena, nor has any other attorney he knows, López said. Comans should have directed ICE to get GEO Group to abide by federal policy – not defer to the company – he added.
The judge’s failure to do so “is another way to discourage people from taking on cases at that facility,” López said.
Supporters of Mahmoud Khalil rally outside the federal courthouse in Newark, N.J., on March 28, 2025. (Reena Rose Sibayan for New Jersey Monitor)
Unequal footing for ICE detainees
Khalil’s lawyers argue that the unequal access highlights a lack of transparency around immigration proceedings, and the hurdles the GEO Group and the federal justice present that affect a detainee’s legal proceedings. In a briefing for reporters Wednesday, co-counsel Ramzi Kassem, a law professor at City University of New York, described Comans as “an immigration judge who’s not an independent judge, who’s really a DOJ functionary.”
Khalil’s counsel decried this lack of transparency in a second motion, also filed April 28. The motion requested that, due to enormous public interest in Khalil’s case, Comans allow virtual or telephonic access for her proceedings.
During the April 11 hearing, Ahmed had asked permission to read out a statement about public access – a request Comans refused.
Ahmed’s quashed statement was a plea for Comans to ensure broader access to the hearing, noting that “what transpires today – determining who is allowed to stay on American soil and who must leave it – will have reverberations for years to come. As such, we ask this court to accommodate those intent on observing these proceedings.”
Instead, GEO Group security allowed less than two dozen people to enter the facility, leaving supporters and members of the news media to wait outside, some of whom had traveled from as far as New York.
Zach Kopkin, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace in New Orleans, was among those denied access. He told Illuminator that it “felt really important that Jewish folks be in that room” and “that we fight back with the truth, which is that a ton of Jews are also critical of the Israeli government’s war crimes and genocide.”
Comans also called the second motion moot, noting simply that “immigration hearings are generally open to the public, although certain exceptions apply.” Khalil’s team still has an outstanding request to the judge for an overflow room.
Khalil hopes to hold month-old son
New allegations against the GEO Group of violating federal policy in Khalil’s case were levied Wednesday. The LaSalle facility has refused to allow Khalil to hold his newborn son, who was born while he’s been in federal custody, citing “security concerns.” This comes despite ICE directives and federal policies which explicitly encourage contact between detained parents and children.
Khalil filed a request Wednesday with a federal court to order ICE to allow him a contact visit with his month-old son by the end of the day. The federal court accepted the argument and Khalil’s counsel say they’re working out details of the visit. Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, traveled over 1,000 miles with their child so Khalil could hold him for the first time.
According to emails within the filing, the GEO Group’s facility administrator said its procedures allow for “non-contact” visits only through a secure window.
ICE policy notes that contact visits “may be facilitated at all ICE detention facilities.”
Khalil’s lawyers argue the GEO Group’s refusal of contact is part of the “punitive” nature of his detention and transfer from its New Jersey facility, where family contact visits are provided daily and parents are allowed to hold their children.
Judge Comans will also decide whether Dr. Abdalla is permitted to hold their infant while attending proceedings Thursday.
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Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This content exhibits a Center-Left bias as it focuses on issues related to immigrant rights, government accountability, and opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. It highlights concerns about fairness, transparency, and alleged misconduct involving federal authorities and private prison companies, emphasizing civil liberties and legal advocacy. The framing tends to be critical of the government and immigration enforcement, reflecting values commonly associated with progressive or liberal viewpoints while maintaining a fact-based, measured tone.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-21 16:27:00
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order addressing a major security breach at the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility, where 10 inmates escaped by removing a toilet and creating a hole in the wall. Five inmates have been recaptured, and the others remain at large. The order calls for an investigation by Attorney General Liz Murrill, audits by the state inspector general, and reviews of jail operations by the Department of Corrections. It also mandates judicial performance evaluations and the creation of a case-tracking system by the Metropolitan Crime Commission to improve the criminal justice system.
(The Center Square) — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order Wednesday that demands an “immediate and aggressive response across multiple state agencies to address a major breach at the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility.
Ten inmates at the New Orleans facility escaped on Friday after removing a toilet and burrowing through a hole in the wall, even writing “to [sic] easy LOL” as a bit of parting graffiti.
Five of them have been caught, but the remainder are still at large.
“Our criminal justice system is a three-legged bar stool. If one fails, the whole system collapses,” Landry said in a news release. “This brings us to where we are today – New Orleans willingly handed the jail keys to those leaders who vowed to keep criminals out of jail. Sadly, it worked.
“However, the state will not sit idly by. We are taking immediate, decisive action to ensure that this never happens again. The people of Louisiana deserve not only transparency and accountability, but also a justice system that is unyielding in its commitment to public safety – and our executive order demands it. Enough is enough.”
The executive order will task state Attorney General Liz Murrill with an investigation into the jail break. The order also requires the state inspector general to oversee audits of case files. The state Department of Corrections will review jail operations for compliance with jail standards and relocate any state inmates, for which the parish is paid by the DOC, to state facilities.
The Louisiana Supreme Court will be asked to review the Orleans Criminal Court. His order also requires the state Judiciary Commission evaluate judicial performance in high-crime parishes.
Landry’s order also requires documentation of continuance requests by court clerks, and judges are encouraged to address unnecessary delays.
The Metropolitan Crime Commission will be asked to develop a system to track cases from arrest to conviction.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Right-Leaning
The article reports on Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s executive order following a jail break, focusing heavily on themes of law and order, public safety, and accountability within the criminal justice system. The framing emphasizes tough-on-crime rhetoric, including phrases like “enough is enough” and criticism of local leadership that “vowed to keep criminals out of jail,” which reflects a punitive, conservative approach to criminal justice issues. The coverage centers on the governor’s decisive actions and critiques of judicial leniency, which aligns with a right-leaning ideological stance. Although it largely presents facts and quotes the governor’s statements, the selected language and framing suggest a perspective supportive of stricter criminal justice policies, rather than a neutral or balanced reporting stance.
SUMMARY: Thomas Welty, a 46-year-old Metairie man, was convicted on May 20 of drugging and sexually abusing two teenage girls. The abuse occurred between 2019 and 2021, starting with Welty providing alcohol and drugs, including methamphetamine and GHB, to the victims. One victim developed a drug addiction, and both suffered sexual assault. The abuse continued until the victims’ families intervened. Welty denied the charges, but was found guilty of second-degree rape, sexual battery, trafficking minors for sex, and other charges. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12. Welty has prior convictions for drug offenses.
