On November 4th, pro-life candidates took over the U.S. Senate by securing at least seven seats in the upper chamber including: Colorado, Montana, Arkansas, West Virginia, South Dakota, North Carolina and Iowa. But now the nation has to wait 29 days to find out who will take Louisiana’s Senate seat.
In Louisiana’s primary, Congressman Bill Cassidy received approximately 41 percent of the vote and Mary Landrieu received 42 percent. Another Republican, Rob Maness, took nearly 14 percent of the vote. Due to Louisiana’s bipartisan primary system, a candidate must win by over 50 percent to be elected, which is why Cassidy and Landrieu will face a run-off on December 6th.
Although Louisiana is arguable the most pro-life state in the country, pro-abortion Senator Mary Landrieu has been able to retain her position in Congress for almost two decades. Since 1997, Landrieu has cast only 17 out of 62 votes pro-life in the U.S. Senate based on the National Right to Life Congressional Voting Record, giving her only a 27% pro-life voting record. And even worse, since 2009, Senator Landrieu has voted pro-abortion 100% of the time. She’s voted against common-sense measures like requiring minors to receive parental consent before an abortion; she’s voted against an amendment that would’ve prevented tax subsidies for health plans that cover abortion-on-demand under Obamacare; and she’s voted to send tax-dollars to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion business in the nation.
Additionally, in 2013, Louisiana Right to Life (LARTL) held three press conferences asking her to co-sponsor the federal version of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 1797), which would protect unborn children at 20 weeks based on the concept that they can feel pain. At that time, she remained undecided about the bill and said she would “take a look.” LARTL reminded her of the violent crimes committed by late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell in Philadelphia and encouraged her to take a look at an unborn baby at 20 weeks fetal age.
In June 2014, in an interview with a Politico reporter, Landrieu explained her personal views on when life begins and why she won’t support fetal pain legislation. She said, “Although I personally believe that life begins at conception, I believe the last place the government needs to be is in the church, in the doctor’s office or in the bedroom.”
Landrieu continued: “Some of the bills being passed around the country are just very intrusive to personal decisions and very harmful to women and girls, you know, to their physical health and life. It’s a shame. 20 weeks is not the norm for being able to live outside of a hospital (emphasis added).”
However, what’s really a shame is that a Senator from such a pro-life state like Louisiana could oppose dismembering fully formed babies, especially if they can feel it. Over 64% of American’s support bills like H.R. 1797 and nine states in the U.S have enacted legislation to protect unborn babies in the final four months of pregnancy. In fact, the Louisiana Legislature passed their own version of H.R. 1797 in 2012. Remarkably, not only did they pass the bill, they passed it unanimously with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Senator Landrieu’s relentless support of abortion and Planned Parenthood show that she is out-of-touch with the majority of Louisianans. Benjamin Clapper, the director of the Right to Life Victory Fund Louisiana Campaign and of Louisiana Right to Life commented on the upcoming election. He said, “Pro-life citizens in Louisiana cannot be complacent about the runoff. We must defeat Mary Landrieu and her 100% pro-abortion voting record since her re-election.”
Clapper also voiced his support for Congressman Bill Cassidy. He said, “Congressman Cassidy is the congressman we need to represent Louisiana. He has a 100% pro-life voting record and is dedicated to protecting the women and children of our state. Pro-lifers are already on the ground in Louisiana knocking on doors and making phone calls to make sure that not a stone is left unturned in getting out the pro-life vote for December 6th.”
The facts are clear: In Louisiana, a vote for Mary Landrieu is a vote for more abortion. In a state where at least 58% of their citizens are pro-life, Louisiana must chose Congressman Bill Cassidy for U.S. Senate.
