Louisiana voters pass constitutional amendment declaring abortion is not a right
Voters in Louisiana have approved an amendment to their state constitution that rejects the notion that abortion is a constitutionally protected right.
Louisiana Amendment 1, also called the No Right to Abortion in Constitution Amendment, passed on Tuesday with 62% of the vote, as over 1.27 million voters supporting the measure.
The amendment will add a statement to the state constitution that says “nothing in this constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”
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“Thank you Louisiana for showing your overwhelming love for life by voting YES on Amendment #1,” the pro-life group Louisiana Right to Life said on Twitter.
State Sen. Katrina Jackson, a pro-life Democratic lawmaker and champion of the constitutional amendment, also celebrated the result of the referendum on Twitter.
“To God be the Glory!!! Amendment #1 Passed and District Attorney Steve Tew won!” she tweeted Tuesday evening. “I’m grateful to God!”
The Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, which opposed the amendment, released a statement Tuesday calling the results “a setback for anyone who believes in personal freedoms.”
“Despite the electoral victory for opponents of reproductive rights, this campaign has demonstrated that there is a strong, sizable group of Louisianans who oppose government restrictions, believe deeply in individual rights, and know that our state's character is reflected in how we treat the vulnerable,” stated LCRF.
“We find solace and power in this and we will continue to fight day in and day out for reproductive freedom in the state legislature, city councils, the courts, the streets and anywhere where freedom is being denied,” the pro-abortion group added.
According to the Love Life Amendment campaign website, while the amendment will not ban abortion, it will prevent courts from concluding it is a state constitutional right.
“The question of whether abortion is legal or not, and in what cases, depends on federal and state law, not the Louisiana Constitution,” explained the campaign.
“The Love Life Amendment will simply ensure that Louisiana judges cannot establish a right to abortion or the tax-funding of abortion in the Louisiana Constitution.”
Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper said in an earlier statement that the amendment was necessary to protect state-level pro-life laws.
“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, as reported by Life News.
“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.”
