Louisiana voters will consider a proposed constitutional amendment in November that provides hope for the future for unborn babies.
The Love Life Amendment, or Amendment 1, would add the following language to the Louisiana Constitution: “To protect human life, nothing in this constitution shall be construed to protect a right to abortion or the tax payer funding of abortion.”
Christian News Network reports the amendment will be on the ballot Nov. 3. Voters will be asked, “Do you support an amendment declaring that, to protect human life, a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution?”
The amendment would safeguard the state, unborn children and mothers from the threat of future pro-abortion laws and court rulings. In some states, courts have found an imaginary “right” to abortion in the state constitution, and abortion activists have used those rulings to force taxpayers to pay for abortions and stop common-sense abortion restrictions.
Voting “yes” on Amendment 1 would keep Louisiana from becoming another New York, said state Rep. Katrina Jackson, a pro-life Democrat who introduced the amendment.
“This amendment makes sure there is no right to abortion or taxpayer funding of abortion in our state constitution,” Jackson said, previously. “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.”
She said Gov. John Bel Edwards, also a pro-life Democrat, supports the amendment, too.
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“I do not believe that abortion is an answer to poverty. One of the most egregious arguments that I hear daily is that a woman should have a choice based on whether or not she can take care of the child,” Jackson said, according to the report. “I believe that as African Americans, we should be fighting to make sure that we implement policies that give families livable wages …”
Louisiana Right to Life and other groups are encouraging voters to support the life-saving amendment, but they are facing hostilities. In September, the pro-life organization reported pro-life signs and displays in support of Amendment 1 were stolen in five different cities.
The pro-abortion groups opposing the ballot measure including Planned Parenthood, the ACLU of Louisiana, the New Orleans Abortion Fund, the Center for Reproductive Rights and Louisiana Trans Advocates, the report states.
“Our goal is to defeat Constitutional Amendment 1 so that Louisianans don’t lose bodily autonomy, endure forced pregnancies, or seek illegal abortion care that will be unregulated, possibly dangerous, and even deadly,” the groups said in a statement.
Polls suggest most voters disagree. A 2019 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.
Several states have passed state constitutional amendments to protect unborn babies in recent years.
In 2018, West Virginia voters passed a similar amendment after decades of being forced by a court ruling to fund elective abortions with taxpayer dollars. The amendment also makes it easier for state lawmakers to pass pro-life laws.
Alabama voters also passed a pro-life constitutional amendment by a strong margin in 2018. The amendment guarantees that “the constitution of this state does not protect the right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”
Meanwhile, this fall, Colorado voters will have the chance to vote on a ballot measure to ban late-term abortions on viable unborn babies in their state.
