HRC Blog

Anti-LGBT Bills On The Table In Louisiana

June 15, 2009

Louisiana 10 There’s some dangerous legislation in the Louisiana legislature that threatens the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. We have been coordinating with our friends at the Forum for Equality and the ACLU of Louisiana to mobilize opposition to these bills. The dangerous bills are:

House Bill 60, which would change Louisiana law regarding birth certificates for adopted children, providing that only married couples or single individuals can be listed as parents on the birth certificate. This bill would mean that out-of-state same-sex couples, and other unmarried couples, adopting Louisiana children could not both be listed as parents on their child’s birth certificate. This is legislation that, first and foremost, threatens Louisiana children in need of adoption. It’s also a discriminatory measure that would prevent same-sex couples who cannot marry in their home states from being identified as the parents of their adopted child. This bill has passed the House, has passed a Senate committee, and may be voted on by the full Senate at any time. Please take action by contacting your State Senator.
House Bill 517, which would threaten access to health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. HB 517 would allow healthcare providers to refuse to participate in certain health care services that violate their religious beliefs or moral convictions. This legislation would set a dangerous precedent by establishing the principle that health care providers may cite religious belief as a basis for refusing to treat people in need of health care. This bill has passed the House, passed a Senate committee, and may be voted on by the full Senate at any time. Please take action by contacting your State Senator.