BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards said he is against a proposal to charge women in Louisiana with murder if they followed through with an abortion.

The governor spoke publicly Wednesday on HB 813, which is scheduled to go to the House floor for debate on Thursday, calling the bill "problematic."

“My Catholic Christian faith teaches me to be pro-life, which is something I’ve been honest and upfront about with the people of Louisiana, who I believe mostly agree with me.

But House Bill 813 is not a pro-life bill. In addition to the fact that this legislation is patently unconstitutional, this bill would criminalize the use of certain types of contraception, as well as parts of the in vitro fertilization process, and it could even serve as a barrier to life-saving medical treatment for a woman who is suffering a miscarriage. To suggest that a woman would be jailed for an abortion is simply absurd.

This legislation is radical and it goes far beyond simply being pro-life. I do not normally comment on these types of bills before they’ve made it through the legislative process, but I felt I had to join my voice to the chorus of pro-life organizations against HB 813.

Working together, we can create a Louisiana that values life and supports women, children and families. House Bill 813’s proposals are not the way to do that here or anywhere else.”

If approved by the Louisiana House and Senate, the governor ultimately has the power to veto the proposal.

The debate comes amid a leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court decision reversing the Roe v. Wade ruling, which would lift federal protections for getting abortions.