Louisiana Elects Two Pro-Life Advocates to Congress Who Oppose Abortion

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Dec 6, 2004   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Louisiana Elects Two Pro-Life Advocates to Congress Who Oppose Abortion Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 6, 2004

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Rounding out the 2004 elections, Louisiana voters over the weekend sent two more pro-life advocates to the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans and Democrats each picked up Congressional seats Saturday, but both winners have a pro-life position.

Voters in Louisiana’s 7th District, a longtime bastion of Democratic politics, chose Republican Charles Boustany, a retired heart surgeon, as their next congressman. Boustany defeated Democratic state Sen. Willie Landry Mount by a 55 to 45 percent margin.

Despite voting Republican in recent presidential elections, this district has not elected a Republican to Congress since Reconstruction.

In the southern 3rd Congressional District, pro-life Democrat Charles Melancon eked out a small 500 vote victory over Billy Tauzin III, son of the retiring pro-life Republican Rep. Billy Tauzin.

Melancon, a former state representative, was victorious some say because of his pro-life stance. Had he backed abortion, some of his supporters would have defected to Tauzin.

He also received the endorsement of Democrats for Life of America, a national group for pro-life Democrats.

Kristen Day, director of the organization, said before the election that it was "critical for pro-life voters to support candidates like Charlie Melancon who share our belief that protecting the rights of the unborn is of the utmost importance."

Boustany fills the seat of outgoing Congressman Chris John, himself a pro-life Democrat. John lost a bid to replace retiring Senator John Breaux.

"I will stand strong to protect our Louisiana values. I will always vote to protect life,” Boustany said.

Boustany benefited from a campaign appearance by Vice President Dick Cheney, who touted his pro-life values.

"We stand for a culture of life, and reject the brutal practice of partial birth abortion," Cheney said at the campaign stop.

Louisiana voters take strong positions against abortion.

In an October poll, some 31 percent of voters think abortion should never be legal, and 52 percent say it should only be legal in very rare cases such as to save the life of the mother or if the mother is a victim of rape or incest.

Thus, according to the University of New Orleans poll, 83 percent of Louisiana voters take a pro-life position against all or almost all abortions.