US State of Louisiana Passes "Love Life Amendment" that Removes "Right to Abortion" from Constitution
Press Release: By a final 62-38 percent margin, Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment #1, sending a clear message that LOUISIANA LOVES LIFE! More than 1.2 million Louisiana citizens voted YES to the Love Life Amendment!
The passage of Amendment #1 assures that our current pro-life laws are protected and that state judges cannot “find” a right to abortion or the funding of abortion in the Louisiana Constitution.
Known as the Love Life Amendment, Amendment #1 keeps abortion out of the state Constitution and makes sure all policy making remains in the hands of duly elected state legislators. Judges in 13 other states, including Kansas in 2019, found that various pro-life laws unconstitutionally infringed on individual rights, but thanks to the voters of Louisiana, that will not happen here.
Louisiana Right to Life looks forward to the day Roe v. Wade is overturned and Louisiana can once again protect all our citizens, including those waiting to be born. Remember, Louisiana has a law on our books right now that would protect every unborn baby from abortion the day Roe v. Wade is overturned. The Love Life Amendment now protects that law from pro-abortion court attacks.
In the short term before Roe v. Wade is overturned, the Love Life Amendment protects existing pro-life state laws such as informed consent and ultrasound laws prior to an abortion. State judges can not overturned these laws based on a pro-abortion interpretation of the Louisiana Constitution.Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, along with members of the Louisiana Right to Life team watched anxiously as election returns rolled in once the polls closed. The team was ecstatic over the outcome, which confirmed to the nation that Louisiana is a strong pro-life state. Clapper said:
“Louisiana has overwhelmingly passed the Love Life Amendment and shown its love for mothers and babies! With the passage of this amendment, our citizens have mandated that state judges can never use our Constitution to enshrine abortion or the taxpayer funding of abortion in Louisiana. We the people, through our legislators, can pass laws defending life without the intervention of judges.
“We look forward to the day Roe v. Wade is overturned and Louisiana can once again protect all our citizens, including those waiting to be born. Moving forward, the pro-life movement will continue to support mothers and babies and work toward a day when every child is protected by law and welcomed with love in our nation.”
Louisiana Right to Life led the push for the amendment’s passage through the Louisiana Pro-Life Amendment Coalition, a team of Louisiana citizens and organizations. State Rep. Katrina Jackson (D-Monroe) and state Sen. Beth Mizell (R-Franklinton) were authors of the amendment resolution, which was overwhelmingly supported by both chambers of the Louisiana Legislature as well as Gov. John Bel Edwards. The amendment was also supported Republican elected officials including Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, and Congressmen Scalise, Johnson, Higgins, Graves, and Abraham.
The Love Life Campaign was critical to the passage of Amendment 1. Angie Thomas, J.D., Associate Director of Louisiana Right to Life, said the following after the vote:
“Even though Louisiana is a pro-life state, we knew from day one that we would need a strong Love Life Campaign to pass this amendment. Thanks to our generous donors, we raised and spent $823,000 in both amendment and educational funds enabling us to reach hundreds of thousands of voters in variety of ways! Our partner churches who purchased church packages of yard signs, banners, road signs, and more were absolutely essential to this success! Thank you to everyone who helped pass the Love Life Amendment!”
The grassroots Love Life effort was also essential to the passage of the Love Life Amendment, especially through the network of Love Life Captains in civil parishes statewide. Alexandra Seghers, Director of Education for Louisiana Right to Life, led the grassroots effort statewide. She said,
“We are so thankful to our Love Life Captains and volunteers who worked extremely hard to promote the amendment. From yard sign distribution, church materials delivery, sign waving, text banking, and more, our volunteers made all the difference. We cannot express our gratitude enough to everyone who made sacrifices to help pass the Love Life Amendment!”
Moving forward, Louisiana Right to Life encourages other states to follow suit and pass an amendment similar to the Love Life Amendment. Dorinda Bordlee, Vice President and Senior Cousel of the Bioethics Defense Fund, was the legal architect behind the Love Life Amendment. Bordlee said,
“It was a honor to provide legal consultation in drafting Louisiana’s Love Life Amendment. Bioethics Defense Fund stands ready to consult with other states.”
FULL TEXT Source: https://prolifelouisiana.org/lovelifewins
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