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 As a child, one of my favorite parts of Mardi Gras was eating that delicious king cake and guessing who in my class would get the Mardi Gras baby. Of course, the person who got the baby would have to bring the cake next (which perhaps was why I liked it... I knew more king cake was coming!). Now, my kids love king cake, but they also love the king cake baby. Even our youngest daughter, Julia, will instinctively refer to that king cake baby as "baby" and give it a kiss.  We know the king cake baby is not a scientific model. But the "Precious One" fetal model is, and it represents an unborn baby between 10-12 weeks. It is just a bit larger than the king cake baby. It is pictured here. Even the youngest among us can recognize that even the smallest humans are still humans. They deserve our protection, no matter the circumstances in which they came into this world. We hope you and your family have a safe and happy Mardi Gras! For a Pro-Life Louisiana,
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Even the king cake knows it's a baby!
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 | | Signs on the ground at stalled Planned Parenthood property. |
Washington Post Article Focuses on Planned Parenthood, Jindal, La.
Tyler Bridges, a reporter from New Orleans, wrote an article that appeared in the Washington Post's Sunday edition titled "Jindal, antiabortion activists block Planned Parenthood in New Orleans." The article touches on many current topics regarding the pro-life movement in Louisiana, all with an eye to Governor Jindal's political future. Read the entire article here. Two quotes from the articles that we want to call your attention to: Speaking about Governor Jindal, Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, said: "He's not just been pro-life behind closed doors. He's also been proudly pro-life across our state." Representative Katrina Jackson, author of the Unsafe Abortion Protection Act, said the following about abortion: "It's a women's health issue. More African American babies are killed by abortion every year than from an unfortunate disease or any senseless criminal act." Thanks to Governor Jindal and Representative Jackson for their pro-life leadership!
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Planned Parenthood Appeal
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Planned Parenthood Appeals DHH Decision to Deny Abortion License
Planned Parenthood Center for Choice, Inc., last week appealed the decision of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to deny the group's "Facility Need Review" application to obtain an outpatient abortion facility license.
Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, said the following after learning of the appeal:
"As expected, Planned Parenthood is appealing Louisiana's decision to deny them a license to sell abortions in New Orleans. In their brief to the Department of Health and Hospitals, they claimed that New Orleans had an 'unmet need' of 2,844 abortions, and they should be the business to sell these abortions. This is not a surprise for Planned Parenthood since their income depends on abortion.
"We have predicted from the beginning of their efforts to build this facility that Planned Parenthood would do everything necessary to acquire a share of the New Orleans abortion market, even it means going to court. This is simply the next step in their goal of selling more abortion to the women of New Orleans." * Click to download the 74-page "Facility Need Review" Application submitted by "Planned Parenthood Center for Choice Inc." on Oct. 15, 2014. * Click to download Secretary Kathy Kliebert's Jan. 8, 2015, Letter Responding to the "Facility Need Review" Application.
* Click to download a brief evaluation of Planned Parenthood's "Facility Need Review" Application.
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Pro-Life Related Stories Trending Around
Nation, World
(click on blue to read more)
* In a landmark decision the Supreme Court of Canada ruled earlier this month that prohibiting assisted suicide is unconstitutional and a violation of the country's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canada is now the first country outside Europe to legalize assisted suicide.
* A bill that would ban the use of webcam, or telemed abortions, has received the support of the Arkansas Senate, and the state House has approved a similar measure. The webcam, or telemed abortion, process has women going to Planned Parenthood for an RU 486 drug-induced abortion getting the drug from a nurse or other employee. The patient is denied an in-person consultation with a licensed physician the FDA suggests and she instead visits with the abortion practitioner via a webcam hookup.
* The South Carolina House has passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H4113) by an overwhelming vote of 80-27. The bill recognizes a compelling state interest in protecting the life of an unborn child beginning at 20 weeks fetal age, based on medical evidence that by that point, if not earlier, the unborn child experiences excruciating pain when subjected to dismemberment or other late abortion methods.
* A Texas lawmaker is working to craft a bill that would protect the rights of unborn children in cases where the mother is declared brain dead. The legislation comes in response to an incident in Fort Worth that made headlines last year as a judge ordered that a pregnant woman be removed from life support as per her family's wishes, thus ending both her life and that of her nearly 23-week-old unborn child.
* Mayor Sally Lee declared Sorsogon City a "Pro-Life City" on Feb. 2, in honor of pro-life month in the Philippines. The executive order highlights pertinent provisions of the Philippine Constitution, which recognizes the sanctity of family life, the protection of the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception, and the role of the state to protect and promote the health of its citizens.Affirming the right to life, liberty, and security, the mayor also cited the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the "Magna Carta for Women in the Philippines," which encourages the State to provide comprehensive, culture-sensitive, and gender-responsive health services and programs which cover all stages of a woman's life.
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Advertise for Life Program is Helping Mothers Choose Life
Annual Fundraiser Bowties for Babies
Set for May 19 at Old State Capitol
On average, 27 Louisiana women choose abortion each day, but there are more than 35 pregnancy centers across Louisiana ready and willing to help them. How can we "connect the dots"?
At Louisiana Right to Life, we are trying to connect these dots and save lives through our Advertise for Life program. Through advertising, we aim to reach women in need and connect them with a crisis pregnancy center before they make that fateful decision.
The Advertise for Life project began several years ago with the goal of connecting women and men facing an unplanned pregnancy with local pregnancy resource centers. The program targets women considering abortion in the hopes that by connecting them to free and confidential services offered by one of our state's pregnancy centers, the women will find the compassion, the strength and the help they need to make a more informed decision when it comes to the life of their baby.
The advertising-based project, which has included billboards, bus shelter signs and bus wraps, currently utilizes optimized search-engine advertising through Google. It works like this: when a person searches a computer, tablet, or phone for a collection of pre-determined keywords, such as "abortion Louisiana," "abortion clinic Baton Rouge," "pregnancy help Shreveport," and many others, the Advertise for Life ad will pop up on the search results page, typically first or second on the list. The image included here is one example of many ads that pop up based on the keywords entered.
 | | Example Google Ad |
If the person elects to click the add, they are sent to www.ADifficultChoice.com, our Advertise for Life website. There, the person searching can either enter their zip code to find the closest pregnancy resource center or call a toll free number listed at the top of the page. The number is connected to a national hotline, which immediately connects the caller with a center close to them.
The website also includes testimonials from women who've faced an unplanned pregnancy, helpful resource information, answers to questions a woman or man may have during this difficult time and information about the development of an unborn baby.
In 2014, the advertising campaign generated more than 14,000 additional visits to ADifficultChoice.com and resulted in 849 telephone calls registered through the hotline. In a trial campaign focused on the New Orleans area alone from October to December, nearly 900 people clicked through to the website and more than 130 phone calls were registered through the hotline.
Due to confidentiality, we may not be able to point to the exact number of "lives saved" by these clicks and phone calls, but we know women were connected to pregnancy help centers. We pray for these women that their time with the pregnancy center helped them choose life.
The budgets of pregnancy centers across Louisiana are tight. We are honored with the opportunity to advertise on their behalf and reach women who would not know about their services otherwise.
This important project is funded through your donations to Louisiana Right to Life's Advertise for  Life Campaign. On May 19 Louisiana Right to Life will hold its annual fundraiser for the project, Bowties for Babies: A Southern Style Soiree for Life Benefiting Babies. The event will be held at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge and feature live jazz music, delicious food, and a silent auction. Plans for the event are still in the works, but registration for Bowties for Babies is open.
Patron sponsorships are available for $250 and above, and tickets are $75 for a single, $125 for a couple, and $50 for a young professional aged 18-26.
Call Communications Director Sandy Cunningham at 1.866.463.5433 for sponsorship information.
Click Here to Register for Bowties for Babies
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Louisiana Camp Joshua Expands to Four Camps This Spring
Available Slots Are Filling Up Fast!
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One of the major ways students around the state can get more involved in the pro-life movement is by attending one of our pro-life camps this spring. Camp Joshua is an amazing opportunity for Louisiana Right to Life to invest in students who want to learn how to dialog with their peers about abortion.
The program is growing each year. Last year there were three camps; this year there are four.
The dates are:
* Baton Rouge, March 13-15 (Click to register)
* Baton Rouge, April 10-12 (Click to register)
* Covington, May 1-3 (Click to register)
* Shreveport, May 15-17 (Click to register)
 At the camp students will learn how to move conversation with their friends from a debate to a dialog and answer all of the objections the pro-abortion movement brings against the pro-life message. Students will hear from great leaders from around the state on topics such as Pro-Life 101, Pro-Life Persuasion: From Debate to Dialog, Medical Ethics, The Impact of Abortion on Women, Life and Law and much more. Students may also be able to meet with lawmakers and discuss the legality of abortion and witness a live ultrasound. What students learn at Camp Joshua will last for the rest of their lives and will empower them to be the generation that sees an end to abortion in our country.
Although we have a great time this is not just a fun camp, this is a camp for leaders who are serious about changing the mindset about abortion in their schools and community.
We have moved our North Louisiana Camp Joshua to the Shreveport area and are very excited about the opportunity this brings. With the largest abortion facility in Louisiana being in Shreveport, we are going to teach student leaders who attend Camp Joshua to raise up the pro-life movement in North Louisiana and save lives.
Many students who have been to Camp Joshua in recent years are now the officers of our college pro-life groups. The opportunities for our youth to get involved are endless, but they all start at Camp Joshua. We are gearing up for some amazing weekends and expecting those who attend to bring great change back to their schools.
Registration is open, and spots are filling quickly! Register online at CampJoshuaLA.org or download a registration form and mail it to Camp Joshua, c/o Louisiana Right to Life, 7121 Catina St., New Orleans, LA 70124.
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National Right to Life Convention
New Orleans | July 9-11, 2015
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 Spring Luminary Coming Soon!
You Still Have Time to Become a Luminary Member and Receive the Next Edition |
Is It Time to Get a New License Plate?
Click here for instructions on ordering a Choose Life plate and you'll be helping women choose life!
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