 9,311.
That is the number of precious babies aborted in Louisiana in 2015.
While that is a welcome 10 percent decrease from 2014, that is still 9,311 too many abortions. We must continue to work until all babies are saved from the tragedy of abortion.
Check out our full report on 2015 abortion numbers below.
As you read on the right, the regular legislative session was full of pro-life victories! Our team was in the Capitol day in and day out to see these successes through. We are happy to be your voice for life in Baton Rouge!
For a Pro-Life Louisiana,
Benjamin Clapper
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Send Your Thank You Email to Gov. Edwards!
We appreciate Gov. John Bel Edwards' strong pro-life stance this legislative session. Not only did he sign pro-life legislation, but he also initiated HB 606 to prevent abortion businesses in Louisiana from receiving taxpayer funds.
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Rally for Life Held at Planned Parenthood
Around 100 people gathered Saturday outside the new Planned Parenthood facility on S. Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans to rally for life and pray for peace.
The rally, a stand against the abortion business of Planned Parenthood, drew people from across the greater New Orleans area, including the Northshore.
Speakers included
Dr. Richard Davies Sr. of Grace Presbyterian Church and Pastor Gene Wellington of
El Bethel Apostolic Ministry in Slidell, Cindy Collins, Pam Richard and Deanna Wallace
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2016 PULSE Leadership Institute
is Days Away!
There is still time to register for next week's PULSE Leadership Institute, which begins Sunday in Baton Rouge.
High school and college students can
REGISTER NOW to receive first-class hands-on pro-life leadership training. The event ends Friday, June 23.
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Benefit Breakfast This Month in Baton Rouge!
Baton Rouge Right to Life will host its Benefit Breakfast on Saturday, June 25, from 9-11:30 a.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
The 2016 honoree, Dr. Wojciech "Al" Krotoski, will be posthumously honored with the Joan Dowd Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tickets are $30 per person or $200 for a table for eight. Contact Julie at (225) 749-8260 for tickets.
You can register online by CLICKING HERE.
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AMA to Study Assisted Suicide Position
Earlier this week the American Medical Association (AMA) rejected a Louisiana State Medical Society proposal to reaffirm the AMA's long-standing policy against physician assisted suicide. Instead it approved a study-resolution to explore AMA adoption of a neutral position on physician assisted suicide, which was often referred to as "aid-in-dying" in the debate.
The study will be led by the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, which will study a possible change to the AMA policy and return with recommendations to the AMA Annual Meeting next year.
Dr. Jeff White, a member of the Louisiana State Medical Society and physician ally of Louisiana Right to Life, said the following after the AMA vote:
"The
AMA's decision to study a possible change in position on doctor-prescribed suicide is very concerning for the future of the integrity of the medical profession. For millennia, the medical profession has been in unison that physicians prescribing death for their patients is antithetical to the mission of healing integral to the role of a physician. If the AMA changes it long-standing policy of opposition to doctor-prescribed suicide, it will provide justification for proponents in their push to legalize this dangerous and uncontrollable policy."
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Gov. John Bel Edwards signs HB 606 into law.
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Pro-Life Victories Abound
in 2016 Legislative Session!
The 2016 Louisiana Legislative session was a huge success for life, with all bills in Louisiana Right to Life's Legislative Package approved overwhelmingly by legislators and supported by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Four bills passed both the House and the Senate unanimously, while LARTL's signature piece of legislation, the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act, passed the House unanimously before meeting only slight opposition in the Senate, where it passed 36-2.
Here is a list of key pro-life victories this session:
- Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act (HB 1081 - signed into law on May 26): Ends the practice of dismemberment abortion, a second trimester abortion method where the abortionist uses forceps to seize and tear body parts from a living unborn child.
- Women's Enhanced Reflection Act (HB 368- signed into law on May 19): Increases the time for reflection between pre-abortion counseling and the actual abortion procedure from 24 hours to 72 hours.
- Defunding Abortion Businesses Act (HB 606- signed into law on June 2): Prohibits entities that perform abortions from receiving public funding for any purpose.
- Compassionate Burial Options Act (HB 618- signed into law on May 11): Requires hospitals to inform parents who suffer the tragedy of miscarriage that they have a right to bury or cremate their child.
- Baby Body Parts Profit Ban (SB 33- signed into law on May 26): Prohibits the sale of human body parts harvested as a result of an elective abortion.
- The Unborn Child Dignity Act (HB 815- awaits the governor's signature): Requires that abortion facilities bury or cremate the remains of unborn children instead of treating them as medical waste.
- Unborn Child Protection from Disability Discrimination Act (HB 1019- awaits the governor's signature): Protects unborn children who have been diagnosed with a disability in the womb from abortion simply based on their status as disabled or potentially disabled.
The session was a big success thanks to the hard work of the bills' authors, members of the House and Senate who expressed their support, and citizens who lobbied their legislators. LARTL also appreciates the legal expertise of our friends at the Bioethics Defense Fund.
How Did Your
Legislators Vote?
A few facts from the 2016 session:
*
In all, 994 votes were cast on pro-life bills, 705 in the House and 289 in the Senate.
* 88% of ALL legislators scored 100% on pro-life votes (90% of representatives and 82% of senators)
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Of those who scored 100%, 60 representatives and 22 senators were present for every pro-life vote.
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Abortion Numbers Decrease in 2015
The number of abortions in Louisiana decreased by 10 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to preliminary figures provided to Louisiana Right to Life recently by the Department of Health and Hospitals.
There were 9,311 abortions performed in Louisiana in 2015, down from 10,211 abortions reported in 2014. The number of abortions performed in the state had increased steadily since 2008, when population numbers began returning to pre-Katrina levels. The 2015 figure is the lowest total number of abortions in the state since 2012, when 9,225 abortions were reported.
Even with numbers going down, on average, 26 abortions per day were performed in Louisiana, and Louisiana Right to Life will continue working hard to reduce these numbers until every baby is saved.
Caddo Parish had the highest number of abortions in a single parish with 3,243, while the greater New Orleans area saw the most abortions performed - 3,750. Of those, 1,921 of were performed in Jefferson Parish, but the Causeway Medical Clinic in Metairie has since closed its doors.
Out-of-state residents accounted for 15 percent (or 1,362) of all abortions. This number is down slightly from 2014, when 1,432 women traveled across state lines into Louisiana for the procedure.
Some quick facts about the 2015 statistics in Louisiana:
- There were 9,311 abortions performed in 2015. That means there were, on average, 26 abortions per day.
- 37 girls under the age of 15 had abortions in 2015. Another 822 girls between the ages of 15-19 aborted their babies.
- The largest number of abortions - 2,916 - were performed on women between the ages of 20-24. There were also 1,140 women ages 35 and older who had abortions in 2015.
- Women categorized as "non-white" accounted for 70% of abortions performed in 2015.
- 87% of women who had abortions in 2015 were unmarried.
- 66% of babies were aborted within eight weeks of pregnancy.
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La. Life March
South
Jan. 28, 2017:
La. Life March North
Feb. 4, 2017:
La. Life March Central
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