Letter to the editor: Vote for Louisiana's proposed Constitutional Amendment 1 and protect the unborn

On the ballot this fall, Louisiana voters have the opportunity to make a real difference in protecting the unborn in our state by voting "yes" on a proposed constitutional amendment to the state constitution.

In the past year, both sides of the abortion debate have become more transparent than ever. We are in a moment in time when we see each side of this debate for what it truly is.

The pro-life message is what it always was and what it will always be — for the protection of human life in the womb at all times and in all circumstances. This position has not changed. This timeless message of preserving the dignity of the human person truly protects our culture, society and civilization.

The pro-abortion goal is also abundantly clear: the right to abortion throughout the entire pregnancy and eventual taxpayer funding for this. 

Unlike Louisiana’s Love Life Amendment as proposed by our state legislators, abortion laws are confusing, ambiguous and expanding. Take New York’s Reproductive Health Law, which passed in January 2019. You might remember the World Trade Center and other landmarks lit up in pink lights to celebrate the passage of this abortion law. This drastic law codified and expanded Roe v. Wade on the state level; and to be sure, one can see how these abortion laws get complicated real fast. New York’s law allows abortion “to protect the patient’s life or health.” There are no restrictions that abortions be performed in the first and second trimesters for this portion of the law nor are there objective medical standards to be met in order to define what is meant by a patient’s “life or health.” 

One thing is certain: The Proposed Love Life Amendment that we have before us now is unambiguous and abundantly clear. If passed, the amendment will read: “To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

The pro-life side of the abortion debate remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow come hurricanes, wildfires, storms and pandemics. It’s up to you, residents of Terrebonne and Lafourche, to participate and take part in what will not change. Vote "yes" on Amendment No. 1 to protect the unborn in our state for their futures.  

Alice Roth,

Lafourche Parish