Love Life, Vote Yes Mary Ann Van Osdell, Caddo Parish Captain An amendment to the Louisiana constitution to ensure the protection of the right to human life will be voted on by the people on Nov. 3. The Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement indicating support of the Love Life Amendment. Catholics are encouraged statewide to advocate for the passage. “As Catholics, we are called to ensure life is indeed valued and that the dignity of all is upheld,” it reads. “This is the foundational principle of our social teaching and must be intentionally considered in all that we do.” Rep. Katrina Jackson, a Democrat from Monroe, authored the bill. “I see it as fighting for the life of the child,” Jackson said. “And I tell women all the time, fighting for the life of the child is like fighting for them because someone chose to have them. If you were born after 1973, someone chose you and gave you a fighting chance. So we don’t see it as restrictive... we see it as fighting for life altogether.” Jackson said the state constitution needs to be amended in case the federal law legalizing abortion is overturned. Pro-life forces backed her up, including Ben Clapper, the executive director of Louisiana Right to Life. “All it’s doing is ensuring there is no right to abortion in our state’s constitution,” Clapper said. The highest parish of abortion occurrence is Caddo in the 2019 report, with 3,231 performed. Twenty-six girls under 15 had abortions in Louisiana in 2019. Another 726 girls between 15-19 aborted their babies. Fifteen percent of women who had abortions were married. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to know how to be involved, either at the church level or individually. Please visit: www.lovelifevoteyes.com for more information.
SEPTEMBER 2020 17
