Louisiana may become just the sixth state to have a 72-hour waiting period for abortions. 
 The Louisiana House easily approved House Bill 386 on Wednesday. The bill would triple the current 24-hour waiting period for women. The bill must go through the Senate next. 
Legislative Director for Right to Life Deanna Wallace has played a vital role in helping the bill move through legislation. 
“This specific bill is geared towards protecting women in that it gives them the opportunity to consider options,” Wallace said. 
She has testified in favor of the bill at the Capitol the past few days. She is confident that it will be made into a law. She said that even in committee, there was strong support for the bill. 
Wallace understands that abortion is still legal in the United States, but she believes that passing this bill would put the pro-life group one step closer to its goal. 
“This is not a party-line issue in Louisiana,” Wallace said. “This is a human rights issue and both sides of the isle come together on bills like this.” 
Wallace has worked in close contact with Louisiana Students for Life President Cisco Gonzales. He has gotten his group involved as much as possible. 
“What we have done is go to the committee rooms and testified in front of the committee why this bill is important, Gonzales said. 
He believes that the pro-life cause is one worth fighting for and that every child deserves a chance to live. The women just need counseling to help them through stressful times. 
“They are in crisis at this point in stage and it’s never a good idea to make a decision in crisis and that’s exactly what this bill does,” Gonzales said. 
The LSU Students for Life group is active around Baton Rouge. The group gives pro-life talks to women and prays in front of the Delta Abortion Clinic every week. 
But even though the bill has garnered much support, there is still some opposition. 
Many pro-choice groups don’t see the need for the bill and think it prohibits women from their basic rights. 
“It’s unnecessary,” LSU Law Student Chelsea Murfree said. “A lot of women who seek an abortion seek it for economic reasons.” 
Murfree is the president of LSU Law Students for Reproductive Justice. She says some women already can’t afford abortions. If they are required to take time off of work, rent hotel rooms and have traveling accommodations, it would be too much. 
“Extending a 72 hour waiting period is basically questioning a woman’s judgment which is not a job for a legislator to do,” Murfree said.