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The Luminary Lighting the Way to a Pro-Life Louisiana VOTE Page 3: Legislative Session a Preaux Life! Pro-Life Success! Oct. 12 Page 4: Nov. 16 Hard Work Begins When Roe is Reversed SUMMER 2019 Louisiana Right To Life 1.866.463.5433 | www.ProLifeLouisiana.org Benjamin Clapper, Executive Insights Executive Director Every four years Louisiana is bombarded with yard signs, mailings, robocalls, and more as state elections descend upon us. All statewide elected offices and legislative seats will be on the Oct. 12 primary election ballot and then, if necessary, the general election ballot on Nov. 16. The highlight of the election will be the governor’s race as Gov. John Bel Edwards seeks re-election. The governor’s race is critical for the pro-life cause as the governor must sign legislation and enforce the law through his departments, such as the Department of Health. Edwards’ principal opponents are Republican U.S. Congressman Ralph Abraham and Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, also a Republican. Louisiana Right to Life does It is a testament to the pro-life convictions of Louisianians that all main candidates for not endorse candidates, but here is our breakdown of the candidates, in alphabetical governor, regardless of party, are pro-life. order: • Ralph Abraham: Congressman Abraham has answered our Governor’s Incumbent Attorney General Jeff Landry is running for re-election, and he has been a Questionnaire 100% Pro-Life, and he has a 100% Pro-Life Voting Record during his strong pro-life attorney general. He had one opponent, and we are not yet aware of his time in Congress. He has been a proactive leader for life in Congress, especially stance on life issues. as it relates to the issue of assisted suicide. For the 105 House seats and 39 Senate seats, we have issued voting records for • John Bel Edwards: Gov. Edwards has answered our Governor’s Questionnaire incumbents and questionnaires to new candidates. Remarkably, during the 2016-2019 100% Pro-Life and has served as a pro-life governor during his first term, signing legislative term 66% of our legislators had a 100% voting record with us through 25 and initiating pro-life legislation. Before that, he had a 100% Pro-Life Voting Record votes in the House and 24 in the Senate. We only hope this new group of legislators will with us in the House of Representatives. be as committed to life as the outgoing members are! • Eddie Rispone: Mr. Rispone has answered our Governor’s Questionnaire 100% Visit us online at www.ProLifeLouisiana.org/elections or call us at 1.866.463.5433 to Pro-Life. While he has not served in public office and does not have a voting see how your legislator voted and where your candidates for office stand on life. And record, he is a pro-life individual who has supported numerous pro-life charities. remember, vote Preaux Life on Oct. 12 and Nov. 16! Pro-Life Gumbo Celebrating 50 Years of Legislative Scorecards Reveal Defending Life Support for Pro-Life Issues in Louisiana in 2020 Louisiana Right to Life has released its Legislative AMA Reaffirms Its Opposition Scorecards for the 2016-2019 legislative term, and 66 Louisiana and New Orleans Right to Life were percent of Louisiana’s legislators had a 100% pro-life to Physician-Assisted Suicide founded in 1970, three years before abortion was voting record during that time. The scorecards for both legalized in America. In 2020, we will commemorate On June 10, the American Medical Association’s the Senate and House 50 years of defending life and helping mothers in House of Delegates voted 392-162 to reaffirm its of Representatives New Orleans and across Louisiana. opposition to the practice of physician-assisted highlight the bipartisan suicide. This vote is a major development in the fight support for passing laws The Proudly Pro-Life Gala will be held at the Hyatt against the legalization of the dangerous practice of to protect babies and Regency in downtown New Orleans on Jan. 18, physician-assisted suicide. ensure the health and 2020, to commemorate the anniversary. This special safety of women. event will replace the traditional Proudly Pro-Life Shreveport physician Dr. Jeff White traveled the Dinner held in Kenner each January. nation and worked tirelessly with the AMA to keep its During the past four position as opposed to physician-assisted suicide. years, Louisiana Right Republican Whip Steve Scalise, to Life has scored 25 Congressman for Louisiana’s 1st “The AMA decision to maintain opposition to votes in the House of Congressional District, has been physician-assisted suicide as fundamentally Representatives and announced as the 2020 Proudly incompatible with the physician’s role as healer is a 24 votes in the Senate. Pro-Life Award recipient for his solid recommitment by the nation’s largest physician Louisiana Right to Life’s pro-life leadership and dedication organization to maintain a bedrock principle of scorecards (House and throughout his public service. He medical ethics – your physician should strive to end Senate) include a percentage voting record for the will be honored at the event. suffering without ending the lives of those who suffer,” four-year term, along with a cumulative record going Dr. White said. back to the 2004 Legislative Session. Scalise served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996 – 2008 and briefly in the Matt Valliére, executive director of The Patients Rights Legislators with a 100 percent voting record have Louisiana Senate. During his time in Baton Rouge, Action Fund, a leading national organization in the been identified as 100% Life Advocates. In addition, Scalise maintained a 100% pro-life voting record and effort to prevent the dangers of physician assisted Louisiana Right to Life has commended a special assisted in the passage of many pro-life laws. suicide said via a release: “Today was a big win for group of legislators who have a 100% Lifetime patients as the AMA sides with them and people with Pro-Life Voting Record for their entire legislative After being elected in 2008 to represent the 1st disabilities who would be at risk for deadly harm career, regardless of when they were elected to the Congressional District of Louisiana in the U.S. through mistakes, coercion, and abuse, all the while Legislature. House of Representatives, Scalise has been a vocal carefully guarding the trust upon which the patient- leader for the pro-life cause. After becoming the physician relationship is based. Patients deserve care “Louisiana Right to Life is honored to recognize the Majority Whip in 2014, Scalise orchestrated the and protection, not a prescription for death.” many pro-life legislators who consistently stood for passage of many pro-life bills through the House of life during the 2016-2019 legislative term,” said Representatives. Recently, Scalise has passionately People from across the political and world-view Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana led the effort to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors spectrum agree with the American Medical Right to Life. “Our scorecards show that 66 percent Protection Act in Congress. Scalise never runs from Association that legalized assisted suicide is contrary of our legislators had a 100 percent pro-life voting the defense of the pro-life mission. Through local and to the physician’s role as healer, puts vulnerable record with us during these years. Louisiana is one national media, Scalise passionately and articulately patients at risk, and would be difficult or impossible of the most pro-life states in the nation because of the defends his pro-life action. to control. The AMA joins the American College of pro-life resolve of our senators and representatives.” Physicians and the World Medical Association, both For more information on the gala, visit of which reaffirmed their opposition to assisted suicide Visit ProLifeLouisiana.org/scorecard to learn more. www.ProLifeLouisana.org/gala. and euthanasia in the past year, Valliére added. Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Hard Work Begins Louisiana's Safe Reality of Fetal Student Changes When Roe is Reversed Haven Law Explained Heartbeat Attacked Her Mind on Abortion Pg 2 | The Luminary: A Publication of Louisiana Right to Life Benjamin Clapper, 2019 Legislative Session A Successful Executive Director One for Protecting Unborn Babies Love Life Constitutional Amendment will be on Nov. 3, 2020 Ballot In his famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, the ballot to ensure there is no state right to abortion. By doing this we would ensure “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” After 45 years of legalized abortion and that our current “Trigger Law” (a law that would prohibit abortion in Louisiana once radical states like New York and Rhode Island legalizing abortion up until birth, it Roe v. Wade is overturned) could not be damaged or halted by a judge. remains difficult to be patient while the lives of innocent babies are aborted across our nation. This feeling was encapsulated in the movements of states like Ohio, During the 2019 session we collected nearly 10,000 petition signatures to support Missouri, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, whose legislatures added the constitutional amendment and successfully passed the Love Life Amendment bill new, stronger protections for the unborn child this spring. Let me break down what through each chamber with the necessary 2/3 margin. The only change made was happened and where we are going. that the amendment was placed on the Nov. 3, 2020, ballot instead of the 2019 ballot, as we had originally planned. We look forward to passing the amendment in 2020 to ensure there is no state right to abortion.