Louisiana lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that would confirm there is no right to an abortion in the state constitution.
A state House committee passed HB 425, the Love Life Constitutional Amendment, last week, moving it forward to the full House for a vote, Red River Radio reports.
The bill would add language to the Louisiana Constitution stating that there is no right to an abortion or taxpayer funding for abortions. To be added, the bill must pass the state legislature by a two-thirds majority and then be approved by voters.
Its sponsor is state Rep. Katrina Jackson, a pro-life Democrat who spoke at the March for Life in January.
“This amendment makes sure there is no right to abortion or taxpayer funding of abortion in our state constitution,” Jackson said when she introduced the bill. “By passing this we can rest assured that, together with our state law, we will never become like New York, which recently legalized abortion up to the very moment before birth.”
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Abortion activists already are fighting against the legislation. Steffani Bangel, of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, told the House committee that it would add to women’s suffering, according to the report.
“People in Louisiana suffer when restrictions like these are passed. Women are suffering now, and so too are the children born into families that couldn’t support them,” Bangel argued.
But Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, said the measure is necessary to protect unborn babies from death by abortion on demand.
“The Supreme Courts of 12 other states (as recently as 2018 in Iowa) have found a right to abortion in their state constitutions, striking down common-sense pro-life laws in the short term and ensuring abortion-on-demand in their states even if Roe v. Wade is overturned,” he said. “We cannot let that happen in Louisiana. By passing the Love Life Amendment we can place our pro-life values of respecting every human life at the heart of our state.”
In February, a poll of Louisiana voters found that 70 percent consider themselves to be pro-life. In addition, 71 percent said taxpayer funds should not be used for abortions.
ACTION: Contact Louisiana House lawmakers.
