Louisiana Voters: State Constitution Does Not Secure or Protect Right to Abortion

While some states are still counting ballots to determine who will occupy the White House in January, many other races have been called. Voters in Louisiana, for example, passed a pro-life amendment to the state constitution that reads: “Nothing in this constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

The amendment passed by a vote of 62.06 percent to 37.94 percent.

State Senator Katrina Jackson, a pro-life Democrat, co-authored the amendment and introduced it in 2019. While in the Louisiana House of Representatives, she co-authored a bill that would have required abortionists in the state to obtain admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles. Then-governor Bobby Jindal signed the measure into law, but the U.S. Supreme Court eventually struck it down.

“To God be the Glory!!!,” Senator Jackson tweeted. “Amendment #1 Passed and District Attorney Steve Tew won!!! I’m grateful to God!!!”

Senator Jackson wrote in October that the amendment “is not a ban on abortion. It simply keeps abortion policy in the hands of our legislators rather than state judges. If Amendment 1 passes, our Legislature would still have the ability to modify any state abortion law. Therefore, Amendment 1 has nothing to do with commonly debated exceptions to abortion. All of those matters can still be handled in the state legislative process.”

Photo credit: American Life League (Creative Commons) – Some Rights Reserved