IN THIS ISSUE...
From Our Director
If you missed the news, the FDA relaxed its rules on the RU-486, the "abortion pill" that accounts for about a fourth of abortions in the U.S.  Make no mistake about it, this decision only helps the abortion industry make more money. Learn more about it from National Right to Life.

As you see on the right, we were able to run response ads on Wednesday in The Advocate. We are very grateful to those of you who made donations to make this possible! Remember to ask your legislator... protect them both! 
  
For a Pro-Life Louisiana,
Benjamin Clapper

P.S. Please join us on April 20 for "Pro-Life Day at the Capitol!"
Pro-Life Day at Capitol
Louisiana Right to Life is sponsoring Pro-Life Day at the Capitol on April 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and we hope you will make plans to attend.
  • Rally to support legislative efforts
  • Lobby your legislators
  • Attend important committee hearings

Click here to RSVP. 

Tangipahoa RTL
Tangipahoa Right to Life Launch Party

A new Right to Life chapter is forming in Tangipahoa Parish, and a launch party has been planned.

WHEN:
Thursday, April 14, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
WHERE: Café Nola, 1625 U.S. 51 Business, Ponchatoula

If you want to find out more about how you can help spread the pro-life message throughout Tangipahoa Parish, you won't want to miss this event. You can learn more about the group and its plans and hear other exciting pro-life news.

Dinner is free, but registration is required.

 
PULSE Weekends

One Weekend Left on Schedule!

High schoolers, have you registered for the upcoming PULSE Weekend Immersion in Baton Rouge April 15-17? You still have time! Click here to sign up.  
 
NOTE: The Covington weekend, originally set for the end of this month, has been cancelled due to flooding at Camp Abbey, the site of the event. If you registered for that camp and have not spoken to Youth Director Alex Seghers, please contact her at 866.463.5433 or alex@prolifelouisiana.org

SAVE THE DATE!

Pulse Institute

June 19-24

What's the Big Deal?
Educational 
Brochures Available 
 
 Louisiana Right to Life has released a new educational brochure about abortion called "What's the Big Deal?", and we want to get it into your hands.

It's a way to offer easy to understand, yet motivating, education on abortion that is specific to Louisiana, a resource that could educate someone who had little or even no knowledge about abortion.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW BROCHURE

Cost is $.20 per booklet, simply to cover some printing and shipping costs. If you would like to get one to see in person before you order, let us know and we will mail it to you at no charge. Email Sandy Cunningham at sandy 
@prolifelouisiana.org.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER 
Bowties for Babies

Bowties for Babies Soiree is May 10    

Spring has arrived, and the fourth annual Bowties for Babies: A Southern Style Soiree Benefiting Life is getting closer! Have you registered yet?

The event is May 10, 2016, from 7-10 p.m. at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge.

Sharon Weston Broome, who served 24 years in the Louisiana Legislature, will receive Louisiana Right to Life's inaugural Leadership for Life Award. This award will be given annually to a Louisiana citizen with an exemplary record of protecting mothers and their unborn babies.

Will you join us at this special event? All proceeds go to our Advertise for Life project, and with your help we can continue using targeted online advertising to reach women in crisis pregnancies and connect them to a pregnancy resource center near them. 
 
 
If you would like to be listed on the invitation as a patron, please make your contribution no later than Wednesday, April 6.

DID YOU SEE OUR ADS IN THE ADVOCATE THIS WEEK?
  
LARTL Responds to Ad
by Pro-Abortion Groups
 
A few weeks ago pro-abortion groups, including Catholics for Choice, UltraViolet and Planned Parenthood, signed on to an ad that ra n in The Advocate and The Shreveport Times urging Louisiana citizens to contact their lawmakers and stop our pro-life legislati ve agenda.   

On Wednesday, Louisiana Right to Life responded.

 
Sticker on Cover of Advocate
 
Not only did we respond to the abortion ad with an ad of our own, but we also put a sticker (shown above) on the front page of  110,000 copies of The Advocate with simple message: Protect Them Both.

We asked Louisiana citizens to email Gov. John Bel Edwards and Louisiana legislators and ask them to support our pro-life legislative agenda.

 
CLICK TO ENLARGE 
Wednesday's ads coincided with the beginning of the pro-life legislative agenda at the Capitol, where two pro-life bills sailed out of the House Health and Welfare Committee. (Read about these bills below.) We have more bills to come, and we need your support.

Please take a few minutes to send an email to the governor and your legislators and ask them to protect both babies and mothers by passing pro-life legislation.

2016 Legislative Agenda
 
First 2 Pro-Life Bills Headed to House Floor 
 
Louisiana Right to Life's 2016 State Legislative Agenda began in earnest Wednesday as the House Health and Welfare Committee considered two pieces of important pro-life legislation.

HB 386, the Women's Enhanced Reflection Act, and HB 488, the Board Certification Requirement for Abortion Providers Act, both passed out of the committee without opposition.

Ryan Verret, right, testifies.

Board Certification Requirement for Abortion Providers Act (HB 488)

HB 488, authored by Rep. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, would require that abortion providers be board certified or board eligible in order to be qualified to perform the surgical procedure of abortion. 

Louisiana Right to Life Associate Director Ryan Verret testified before the committee in favor of this bill. In part, he said:

"...This is a common sense regulation guaranteeing women deserve providers who can meet the universal requirements for board certification.

"To practice medicine in the United States, doctors must be licensed by the states in which they work. However, being licensed does not indicate whether a doctor is qualified to practice in a specific medical specialty. One of the best ways to know if your doctor has the qualifications to provide care in a specialty is to find out if he or she is board certified and participating in activities to stay up-to-date with the latest advances in medicine and patient care.

"This bill will prevent anyone without that special training from performing an abortion and endangering a pregnant woman's health....

"Board certification is important because it keeps a physician's specialty current. It also upholds a very important standard that helps to protect patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives." 

Women's Enhanced
Reflection Act (HB 386)

HB 386, authored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann, R-West Monroe, would increase the current time for reflection between pre-abortion counseling and the actual abortion procedure from 24 hours to 72 hours.

Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace testified before the committee in favor of this bill. In part, she said:

"In Louisiana you have to wait 72 hours after getting an initial offer before you can sign a mortgage. In Louisiana you have to wait 72 hours after getting your marriage license before you can get married. In Louisiana you have to wait a minimum of 72 hours after giving birth before you can sign a surrender that will place your child in a loving, adoptive home.

"But, in Louisiana you only have to wait 24 hours before you allow an abortionist to end the life of your unborn child.


"...Abortion is a life-changing and life- ending decision, and one that the Supreme Court has recognized many women come to regret. The extended reflection time gives women more time to talk to their families and partners about parenting and adoption and to gain the support and resources they need to pursue those alternatives.

"...Similar 72-hour reflection times have been passed in five other states, and only two have been challenged. In South Dakota, the 72-hour period does not include weekends and holidays, and the challenge to this law was voluntarily dismissed at the district court level by the plaintiffs Planned Parenthood. The law is currently in effect. The most recent challenge is still pending at the district court level in Missouri. This challenge was brought by the Satanic Temple of Missouri. It is not expected to be successful."

For a complete list of pro-life bills Louisiana Right to Life is supporting this legislative session, click here .
 
Upcoming Events
April 2:
April 20:  April 29-May 1: 
PULSE Weekend, COV 
May 10:  June 19-24: 
PULSE Leadership Institute, BR
Oct. 1-2
Life Chains Around State
Jan. 21, 2017: 
La. Life March South
Jan. 28, 2017: 
La. Life March North
Feb. 4, 2017: 
La. Life March Central  
Louisiana Right to Life
ProLifeLouisiana.org     1.866.463.5433    @LARightToLife

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