The Luminary Lighting the Way to a Pro-Life

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 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 , During the 2019 session we collected nearly 10,000 petition signatures to support , , , , 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.

The Captures International Attention

As the national intensity increased with pro-life actions in Ohio, Georgia, and Alabama, State Sen. John Milkovich (D-Shreveport) introduced the Heartbeat Bill in Louisiana. This legislation protects the unborn child when his or her heartbeat can be detected, which occurs as early as six weeks after conception. For our cause, this legislation is a wonderful way to protect the baby and educate the public about the Our Focus: The Love Life Constitutional Amendment humanity of the unborn child.

On April 26, the Kansas Supreme Court decided there was a right to abortion in Louisiana Right to Life supported the Heartbeat Bill, and our involvement secured its the Kansas Constitution, striking down a pro-life law and threatening many others. passage and ensured that no negative amendments (such as allowing joined 13 other state whose state Supreme Courts have issued mini Roe v. cases of rape or incest) were added. Wade decisions, cementing abortion-on-demand regardless of what happens to Roe v. Wade federally. With the bevy of pro-life legislation passing state houses the news media in America and abroad came calling, covering all aspects of the issues. National media sources As President Trump’s Supreme Court picks give us more hope of a future without Roe such as HBO and Fox News and international media from Israel, Norway, Sweden, v. Wade, we knew we had to act to make sure this could not happen in Louisiana. and England visited Louisiana to cover the Heartbeat Bill. Our message in interviews We began the 2019 session with the goal of placing a constitutional amendment on was always focused on two key points: we must protect the right of unborn babies, and women, especially those in difficult situations, deserve our compassion and care.

Where Do We Go Now?

The abortion industry immediately challenges laws such as the Heartbeat Bill in federal court, and since Roe v. Wade protects a right to abortion, all federal courts sadly will suspend the enforcement of these laws pending the court deliberations. Since Mississippi passed its Heartbeat Bill only months before us, the Louisiana Legislature made the enforcement of the Heartbeat Bill contingent on the outcome of Rep. Katrina Jackson and others spoke at a Pro-Life, Pro-Woman Press Conference at the court case already under way in Mississippi. the Capitol during the session. We must have a willing Supreme Court to overturn or modify Roe v. Wade in order for any of these laws to go into effect. That is the reality we cannot escape or explain 2019 Pro-Life Bills Passed by Legislature away. and Signed into Law by Gov. John Bel Edwards While President Trump’s Supreme Court additions have changed the court, there is The Love Life Constitutional Amendment (Act 447) no proof they are ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. The only justice who has publicly Authored by Rep. Katrina Jackson, (D-Monroe), this bill passed both stated that Roe should be overturned is Justice Thomas. While we can hope that the houses of the Legislature by the necessary 2/3 margin. If approved by other “conservative” justices (Roberts, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh) would make voters on Nov. 3, 2020, it will ensure that there is no right to abortion or that decision, there is reason to doubt as well. With four liberal justices, including the taxpayer funding of abortion in our state constitution. three women, on the bench, there is no margin for error. Many believe, me included, that we must add another justice, and hopefully a woman justice, to truly place Roe’s Protection of Patient Records at Abortion Facilities Act (Act 435) future in jeopardy. Authored Rep. Raymond Crews, (R-Bossier City), this law establishes requirements for abortion facilities to preserve medical records of women All the laws passed this spring will take at least a year or longer to go through the upon whom are performed. Especially for minors who are court process before even being considered by the Supreme Court. We have no having an abortion due to sexual assault, it is crucial that abortion choice but to be patient in the meantime and place the momentum of the pro-life facilities have these medical record details and are required to report the cause into electing a pro-life President* and Senate that will further cement a pro-life abuse. Supreme Court.

Chemical Abortion Regulation Act (Act 376) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it Authored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann, (R-West Monroe), this law ensures that bends toward justice.” The Supreme Court’s tight grip on abortion in our nation the licensing and regulation of abortion will apply equally to providers of has forced us into nearly half a century of legalized abortion, but I believe we are all methods of abortion, including both surgical and chemical abortions. marching, day by day, to a future without abortion.

Abortion Physician Disclosure Act (Act 198) *Louisiana Right to Life cannot endorse a candidate. National Right to Life has Authored by Sen. Beth Mizell, (R-Franklinton), provides women at abortion endorsed President Trump. facilities clear information about the qualifications and disciplinary physicians.

Unborn Child Heartbeat Protection Act (Act 31) Authored by Sen. John Milkovich, (D-Shreveport), this bill prohibits the abortion of an unborn human being with a detectable heartbeat. It will not take effect until a similar law in Mississippi makes its way through the court system.

Trafficking at Abortion Facility Prevention Act (Act 280) Authored by Sen. Beth Mizell, (R-Franklinton), this law requires health practitioners and employees to report human trafficking Legislators and supporters show off the thousands of petitions signed by Louisiana residents in support of the Love Life Amendment. and trafficking of children for sexual purposes to law enforcement.

The Luminary: A Publication of Louisiana Right to Life | Pg 3 Alex Seghers, Education Director

When Roe v. Wade is Overturned, Hard Work Begins We Must Offer Resources, Promote Adoption, Address Dangers of Self-Managed Abortion

Pro-life people certainly know of Pre-Roe back-alley abortions, as that topic is With multiple underground providers already in place, this is certainly not a continually addressed when debating the morality of abortion. But many may not theoretical problem. think about how coordinated underground abortion systems were right before Roe, when some states, such as New York, legalized abortion. This is similar to what In addition to existing underground abortionists, a handful of states in the U.S. America may look like immediately following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, when openly encourage women to exercise their right to abortion however they choose. the power to determine the right to abortion may be handed back to the states. California, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Vermont explicitly give permission for non-medical personnel to perform abortions. Legislation Launched in 1965, one of the most well known systems was found in Chicago, in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin include where posters said, “Pregnant? Don’t Want to Be? Call Jane,” with a phone such language of “women’s autonomy” that seemingly would not hold women number. Women seeking abortion would go through rounds of submitting accountable for pursuing self-managed abortions. On the other end of the spectrum, information through recorded phone messages, meetings to discuss the information Louisiana staunchly deters non-medical abortionists and self-managed abortions in one location, and having the actual procedure in a second location. The all- by legislatively not allowing anyone but a licensed OBGYN or family medicine female abortionists were not doctors. They charged only what their client could physician to perform or induce an abortion. afford – much less expensive than a doctor – and overall the “Jane” system performed 11,000 first- and second-trimester abortions in seven years before being But laws such as this won’t totally keep Louisiana women safe. Just as Louisiana busted by the police. Abortion became legal through Roe v. Wade six months later. continues to deal with high rates of human trafficking and other violence, Louisiana might be facing high rates of illegal self-managed abortion as abortion access A new book written by pro-choice activist Robin Marty, Handbook for a Post-Roe continues to be restricted. America, was primarily written for those who are “looking at ways to prepare for worst case scenarios in With each article that surfaces about the rise of self-managed abortions, authors a post-Roe America – an refer to it as the desperate woman’s “only option.” Citizens in Louisiana need to With the age of the America where pregnant continue the work of pro-life compassion and care, beyond the fate of Roe v. Wade, internet and change in people may need to travel in order to encounter and provide life-saving hope for these women. across state lines or obtain developed medication, illegal abortion-inducing Margaret Murphy, RN, Director of the Ultrasound Program at ACCESS Pregnancy post-Roe illegal medications, or keep their and Referral Centers in Metairie, is familiar with the desperation of these women abortion will abortions secret...” and knows her pregnancy resource work will be even more necessary post-Roe. likely be far Now, with the numerous “Women come to us asking about the abortion pill, and we educate them about the more accessible laws that protect unborn side effects and how isolating and dangerous it can be to go through all of that,” children being passed she said. “I think our work will be more needed for people who don’t have easy and far less around the country, along access to what they think is an easy solution.” detectable. with an evolving Supreme Court, the pro-abortion Murphy continues, “After Roe v. Wade will be like after (Hurricane) Katrina. There movement is also seeing were no abortion facilities open, and we had to show them other solutions. It was the end to the right to abortion in America and taking action two steps ahead. Of even more important then to be there for them. We are a safe, non-judgmental course, while the pro-life movement is looking forward to having all human beings place to talk out what they’re going through and what their options are.” and their right to life protected by law, the pro-abortion movement only views this “victory” as an atrocious stripping of women’s rights, so much so that they are To a girl desperately considering self-managed abortion, Margaret would say, openly advocating to keep their right to abortion by any means, including those that “This is not something you want to do alone with no medical help. You can have may be illegal and dangerous, possible. complications from this, and there would be no one to go to. You wouldn’t have anybody managing the procedure, and you could be causing yourself irreparable The loud cry for abortion access is not nearing an end, and the pro-life movement damage.” She added she would show her the bountiful options available, such as needs to be prepared for this phenomenon. adoption and parenting resources.

With the age of the internet and change in developed medication, post-Roe illegal Just as ACCESS does, we should be turning toward abortion-seeking women with abortions will likely be far more accessible and far less detectable, as with human the same attention, advice, and care. She articulates that the primary ways to trafficking and other black market activity. counter this rise in self-managed abortions are to:

There are already several resources and systems in place. Handbook for a Post- 1.Provide resources to women in crisis pregnancies. ACCESS Pregnancy and Roe America is simply the gate to an entire website (PostRoeHandbook.com) Referral Center is one of many pregnancy resource clinics in Louisiana that dedicated to illegal abortion access. The website details how to plan for abortion meet the financial, physical, and counseling needs of abortion-vulnerable emergencies, how to start organizing now, what to know about self-managed women. abortion care with pills and/or herbs, and how to avoid surveillance. It includes an extensive, detailed resource guide of clinics, action groups, abortion funds, and 2.Promote adoption in an effective manner. Overwhelmed women can consider “practical” support groups in each state. this option thoroughly by sitting down with the specialists at St. Elizabeth’s Foundation or Catholic Charities, among others. The site outlines detailed regimens for self-managed abortions depending on what medications are most available for the pregnant woman according to 3.Share the dangers of self-managed abortion. Understand that these women her gestational stage. The site links to numerous other sites that offer extensive can experience awful complications from illegal self-inducing drugs, made information and support. For instance, PlanCPill.org has a thorough report card even more dangerous with lack of physician oversight. And if mifeprestone for online abortion pill suppliers from inside and outside the U.S. that grades the is used to self-induce an abortion, AbortionPillReversal.com may be able to suppliers on price, ship time, quality, and physician oversight. The first of these help! report card scores highlights a provider from Austria and her defiance of the FDA’s request to “stop providing telemedical abortion services to women who cannot With the approach of the Roe v. Wade overturning, pro-life people should not let otherwise access safe abortions because of costs, domestic violence, distance, their guard down as innocent children and vulnerable women will continue to be or other reasons, and who do not have access to other doctors willing or able to taken advantage of by the pro-abortion movement. Let’s persevere with supporting prescribe and .” and providing care that offers the life-saving resources they actually need.

Pg 4 | The Luminary: A Publication of Louisiana Right to Life Sandy Cunningham, Communications Director

Above: This is the dumpster where Baby Mary Grace was found. Left: Nurses, Rocky Hyatt and Baby Mary Grace following her rescue. As an Infant, Morgan Hill Was Left in a Dumpster to Die Today, She is Educating Others Around the Country About Safe Haven Morgan Hill knew from a young age that she was eventually convicted and sent to prison. Finding the to help prevent it from adopted. But it was just before her high school birth mother led authorities to the baby’s biological happening in the future. graduation, when an off-handed comment by a niece father, who didn’t even know the woman was Even before meeting raised questions about her past, that Morgan’s mother pregnant. He fought for, and eventually won full Rocky and Carol she knew it was time to talk to her daughter. She had custody of the baby, but in 1998 he decided to place reached out to several saved newspaper clippings for 18 years. It was time to Morgan with an adoptive couple he’d come to know organizations, and she show them to Morgan. and trust, the Hills. learned about Safe Haven laws that had The story she revealed was tragic. “In 1995, as “Shortly after finding all of this out, I knew what I had been passed in her an infant, I was left in a dumpster to die,” Morgan to do,” Morgan said. “I had to find these people who home state of Illinois learned. saved me, find my biological father, and help prevent as well as throughout this from happening to other children.” the country. An Illinois woman told lie after lie to hide an affair and resulting pregnancy from her husband, With the help of her mother, Morgan found her “I wanted to share children, and coworkers. On the morning of biological father. He had moved out of state, but he my story so I could Oct. 16, 1995, after her husband left for work, kept his old cell phone number on the off chance that touch hearts and prove there are she gave birth to a baby girl in the bathtub of one day she’d call. other options out there rather than throwing your child her apartment. She cleaned her up and fed her away,” Morgan said. – police say to keep the baby quiet, and she Then, when Morgan was 20, she met with a news remained in the apartment for several hours. reporter who reunited her with the people who had Morgan recently told her story at the Pro-Life Women’s That afternoon the woman drove around trying saved her life. Morgan was not aware the reunion had Conference, held earlier this summer in Kenner, and to decide what to do. She chose the unthinkable. been arranged. at the Heartbeat International Conference. She is now She wrapped the baby in a bath towel, put her working with two Safe Haven organizations trying to in a trash bag, sealed the bag with a double “I turned around and broke down in tears,” she educate the public that there are safe ways for parents knot, then threw the bag – and her baby – into a recalled. “I finally met my rescuer (Rocky), who I call to turn over their newborns when they see no other dumpster behind a hospital. my guardian angel, for the first time. After a few solution. minutes of crying and comprehending everything that Then Morgan learned the story of Baby Mary Grace. was going on, I was also surprised with meeting one “My story is tragic, but I believe God was and of the nurses (Carol) who took care of me. continues to look over me, and I’m here today for It was a cool evening when construction worker a reason,” she said. “I am here to turn my tragic Garold “Rocky” Hyatt went to the dumpster to “They both told me my story, and I sat there as though story into something positive. I am here to continue throw away a last load of debris. He heard a I was listening to it for the first time. It was similar, on with my wonderful journey. I am here to earn my whimper. He saw the trash bag move, and he yet very different from the articles I had read. It was redemption. And I am here to tell people no one is ran inside the hospital for help. A nurse – Carol reality. I really don’t know how to explain my reaction alone.” Szafranski – was among those who rushed other than being in shock and being happy. I was outside. She tore the bag open and discovered given two things that I hold very close. Carol kept a beautiful baby girl inside. The medical team pictures and articles in her work desk knowing there rushed the baby inside the hospital, and they would be a reason for her saving them. Rocky kept a named her “Mary Grace.” They believed she was golden angel pin he was given for being my guardian a miracle from God. angel. They kept these items for 20 years and passed them on to me.” Over the next few days police used surveillance Morgan Hill is shown with her mom, Sandi, Rocky Hyatt, footage to track down the baby’s birth mother, who When Morgan learned about her first few hours of life, and Carol Szafranski when they were reunited 20 years she knew she had to share her story and find a way was arrested, charged with attempted murder and after her rescue.

Louisiana’s Safe Haven Law Provides a Safe and Legal Last Resort to Abandonment Louisiana’s Safe Haven Law was enacted in 2000, being is in danger, you can take the newborn up to and since 2004 more than 50 infants have been 60 days old to an emergency designated facility or The baby will then be taken to the nearest medical relinquished to the state. But others, like Morgan, were Safe Haven site. By leaving the baby in the care of an facility for a health assessment and to receive any abandoned or killed when their parent felt they had no employee at a Safe Haven facility, parents can give up necessary medical care before the Department of other choice. They probably didn’t know about the Safe custody of the newborn with no questions asked. Children and Family Services will find a family to care Haven law. for the baby and begin proceedings to obtain custody If a parent is unable to travel to a Safe Haven facility, of the child and safely and legally place the baby in a Earlier this year a baby was found alive in a grassy he or she may call 911, and a law enforcement officer permanent adoptive family. area near the parking lot of a Lake Charles-area or EMS provider will pick up the infant and transport hospital. The baby was healthy and showed no signs the child to a hospital for a health assessment and to As long as the baby shows no signs of abuse or neglect, of abuse, but this was a case of child abandonment receive any necessary medical care. the parent will be protected by the Safe Haven Law and since the parent chose not to relinquish the baby to an Designated Safe Haven sites are: will not be considered guilty of a criminal act of neglect, employee at the hospital. • Licensed hospitals abandonment or child cruelty. The parent can seek to • Public health units reclaim parental rights within 30 days by contacting The person's "intentions were probably appropriate, but • Emergency medical service providers their local DCFS office. they just didn't follow through. This would have been • Medical clinics very simple last night; 50 yards more and hand the • Fire stations How Can Individuals Help? baby off," Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso said • Police stations at the time. • Pregnancy crisis centers • Visit the website www.louisianasafehaven.com to • Child advocacy centers learn more. Here’s How it Works • Check your local police and fire stations and make Once the baby is given to an employee at a designated sure emergency workers are aware of Safe Haven If you find yourself with no other alternative and are Safe Haven location, the employee will offer the parent laws and signs are posted on site. considering abandoning your baby, Louisiana's Safe a card with a toll-free number to call if the parent wants Haven Law provides a safe place for your child. If you to give medical information about the baby or learn • Share the information with friends and family on are unable to care for your baby and the baby's well about their parental rights. social media.

The Luminary: A Publication of Louisiana Right to Life | Pg 5 Sarah Zagorski, Special Projects Director

Newest Attack on Humanity of Unborn Focuses on Fetal Heartbeat But Science Continues to Prove Life Begins at Conception

Preborn babies have hearts that can be detected through ultrasound technology, and about the unborn person. Justice Harry Blackmun, in writing the majority opinion on according to embryologists, experts in the formation, early growth and development of Roe, only said there wasn’t a consensus on when life begins at that time and therefore human living organisms, the laws of nature confirm they are alive, distinct and human the judiciary should not theorize one. from the very moment of conception. He wrote: “We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins... [...] When Renowned scholar Dr. Thomas Sadler explains in his book Langman’s Medical those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are Embryology: “Development begins with fertilization, the process by which the male unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of gamete, the sperm, and the female gamete, the oocyte, unite to give rise to a zygote.” man’s knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.” Another embryologist, William Larson, echoes the same in Essentials of Human Embryology, a textbook used in medical schools across the country. He writes of human About a decade later at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, members development: “Human begin development following the fusion of definitive found that, “Physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the male and female gametes during fertilization.” beginning of the life of a human being – a being that is alive and is a member of the human species. There is overwhelming agreement on this point in countless medical, Babies in utero also have their own DNA, DNA that was decoded for the very first biological, and scientific writings.” time by researchers at the University of Washington in 2012. Simply explained DNA is the genetic blueprint of a person and shows that unborn babies are unique from their During the hearing, Harvard Doctor Micheline M. Mathews-Roth supported references mother, a qualifier for establishing human life. that human life begins at fertilization. She said,“It is incorrect to say that biological data cannot be decisive…It is scientifically correct to say that an individual human life Yet here we are in 2019 debating scientific realities that are really not up for debate begins at conception.” because abortion proponents are returning to the archaic argument that an unborn human is not actually alive in the womb, with the newest attack on the humanity Then, in 1986, a publication by the Hastings Center’s Bioethics Research Institute focusing on the validity of the fetal heartbeat. This was referenced locally at a recent correctly predicted that science would put pro-choice argumentation to the test and New Orleans City Council meeting when a college student testified that, according to call into question our moral obligation to the fetus. In the abstract of How Technology science, “life did not begin at conception.” is Reframing the , their founder Harvard graduate Dan Callahan concluded that “progress in neonatal care has lowered the age of ; Earlier this year a New York Times reporter switched the commonly used phrase sonogram pictures have “humanized” the fetus; occupational hazards to the fetus have “fetal heartbeat” with “embryonic pulsing” when referring to the Louisiana heartbeat been recognized; and fetal therapy is in prospect.” bill signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards, and a New York women’s magazine boldly stated that embryos don’t actually have hearts. Instead, they argued that when He explains that these developments could “undercut the reasoning of earlier court a physician performs a routine ultrasound on a pregnant woman they are actually decisions,” referring to Roe, resulting in society giving serious consideration to the hearing vibrations. rights of the preborn human. This is why abortion proponents have tried turning the conversation toward the plight of the mother, those with rare pregnancy complications, The truth is that while the fetal heart is not as complex as an adult heart, its four fetal abnormalities and what could happen if Americans had to resort to back-alley chambers exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide just like ours do. Anatomy Professor abortions. Dr. Keith Moore explains in his book The Developing Human, “The initial contractions of the heart are of myogenic origin (that is starting from muscle). ... At first, circulation The question for the pro-life community is what do we do now that these arguments are through the primordial heart is an ebb-and-flow type; however, by the end of the fourth arising again. I think the answer is simplistic: We stand our ground and work in every week, coordinated contractions of the heart result in unidirectional flow.” avenue possible to continue educating Americans about fetal life and the travesty of abortion. It is important to note that the question of when life begins has always been central to the abortion debate. In the early years after Roe vs. Wade, the court decision We are on the winning side, and we don’t need tricks or schemes to defend humanity. legalizing abortion in all 50 states, abortion supporters often referred to unborn human Rather, we need people in every area of society sharing that abortion does indeed as “a blob of tissue, a product of conception or a clump of cells, and mocked the end a human life, from doctors and biologists to teachers, activists, and mothers and question, “Is the fetus alive?” In 1985, Rocky Mountain asked, “Is fathers. It is apparent that science itself concludes time has long been up on abortion. the fetus alive? Is it alive? Algae is alive, and earthworms, and your appendix. Mold on the bread in the refrigerator is alive. People are not agreed on what a life is.”

It would be incorrect, however, to say in those days science wasn’t pointing to the truth

What You Need to Know About the Fetal Heart: • The heart begins to form 18-19 days following fertilization, and the fetal heart is the first functional organ to develop.

• The heart begins to beat and pump blood around day 21 or 22. Notably, this is before many women know they are pregnant.

• Scientists in 2017 found that the major structures of the heart are formed in only four days. Within that four-day period, the architecture of the heart is established with muscle tissue organizing and cardiac fibers taking shape to form the helix, which is the location of heart chamber formation.

• The fetal heart beats nearly 54 million times before the baby is even born.

Pg 6 | The Luminary: A Publication of Louisiana Right to Life College Friend, PULSE Weekend Change Student’s Mind on Abortion Jamie Lawler No Longer Believes in ‘My Body, My Choice’

Jamie Lawler participates By Jamie Lawler, Nicholls State University Student in a game at a PULSE Weekend this spring.

Most of my life I considered myself pro-choice because I had no understanding of the more questions. I wanted reality that the pro-choice movement is oppressive to women as well as men. Like many to see both sides of the people I had been deceived into thinking it was empowering for a women to have argument, so I bravely a choice in the first place. While I was not what you would describe as a traditional attended a PULSE weekend in activist in the pro-choice movement, I truly believed that it was “my body, my choice,” the Covington area this past and I occasionally shared these confused beliefs on social media. spring.

For the most part I did not seem to be concerned about what other women did, because After hearing what Ashlen had Jamie Lawler, center, is shown with Rebecca in my mind these decisions did not affect me. My neutral silence was probably just as to say, then hearing the speakers Beyer and Ashlen Sandoz at the Pro-Life Women’s bad, if not worse, as what I believed in because it meant I did not stand up for violence and talking with others at PULSE, Conference earlier this summer. against women. I saw things in a whole new light. My views on abortion changed. I I truly used to believe that no woman should be forced to continue a pregnancy she did no longer believed in “my body, my choice.” not plan and that a man should not have an opinion on what grows inside of her uterus. Like many pro-choice individuals my intentions were good, even though I did agree with I do not have children, but at one point I viewed bringing a child into this world as a many of the common justifications like “What if was sexually assaulted?” or “It’s not huge inconvenience rather than a gift from God. I was actually under a blind impression even a baby this early; it’s just a clump of cells!” I was also terrified of my own fertility that having children would tie me down and keep me from achieving my academic because I had been told that getting pregnant was a scary experience. success or future goals in life. Once I was able to heal from my own childhood trauma through therapy and grow deeper into my faith, I began to see the truth: Abortion is a As recently as last year I viewed abortion as a way of being responsible for a mistake, form of genocide, and women have been lied to. especially in traumatic situations such as incest or rape. Because I had experienced sexual assault, I felt that when someone told me abortion was wrong, I was being I was in Houma with a group of women from my church staring at a movie screen that silenced again. When I got to say “my body, my choice,” it kind of gave me my power was premiering Unplanned. I had never even seen a Christian-based movie, so I did not back. I have never been pregnant, but I had a deep-seeded fear of my own fertility know what to expect. Tears rolled down my cheeks and my heart shattered as I watched because of my trauma. It was not until my friend Ashlen Sandoz told me that an abortion the graphic truth about Planned Parenthood unfold right before my eyes. I cried for all ends up re-traumatizing sexual assault victims that I even questioned my belief. the women who were faced with this horrific aborting their own babies, and I prayed that the Lord would redeem them and give them another chance. Now that I am pro-life, Ashlen explained to me that abortion continued a cycle of violence, which is something I am on a mission to spread light and compassion to mothers who are in need or women I had never considered. I allowed myself to be more open minded, and I began to ask who are traumatized from getting an abortion.

Pro-Life Persuasion Tip: PULSE Leadership Institute Trotting Out the Toddler

“What is the Unborn?” is the essential question in any conversation about abortion. In real life, our challenge is how to have someone consider that question in a conversation. We do this through a tool called “Trotting out the Toddler” that enables us to answer every justification for abortion that is raised, including “choice,” “poverty,” or even rape. We simply ask if it would be morally acceptable to kill a toddler in a similar situation.

Here is one example, outlined in our four steps of “Agree, Apply, Ask Why, and Ahhh:” Pro-Lifer: “Why do you believe abortion is justifiable?” Future Pro-Lifer: “I think a woman should have the right to choose.” AGREE Pro-Lifer: “OK, I understand what you are saying." APPLY This year's PULSE Leadership Institute's theme, Discover Life, encouraged these high school and college students to discover life and its beauty and share it with others. Pro-Lifer: "Can I ask you a question? Do you think a woman should have the right to choose to kill her toddler?" Future Pro-Lifer: “Of course not!” ASK WHY Pro-Lifer: “I agree with you, but what is the difference between the toddler and the unborn child in this situation? Future Pro-Lifer: “The toddler is alive! It’s a baby!” AHHH Pro-Lifer: “Ahhh… So the real question is not whether the woman has the right to choose, but what is the unborn. Do you agree?” Future Pro-Lifer: “Yes” Pro-Lifer: “If I can show you that there is no significant difference between the toddler and the unborn child, then we’d have to agree that abortion would be wrong in this situation.”

Once you have someone to this point, you are free to explain that the unborn is a Luke Dardis of Baton Rouge gives his Laurel Sandoz of Slidell talks to an LSU testimony before a "committee" at the student about abortion during an outing valuable human being, just like the toddler, using scientific facts and common sense. Capitol. to the LSU campus.

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