NEW ORLEANS – Today, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled in Hodes & Nauser, MDs v. Schmidt that the Kansas Constitution guarantees a “right” to abortion. In the decision, the Kansas court decided that the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act violates the state constitution’s Bill of Rights, which they argue guarantees a “right” to abortion. Louisiana HB 425, the Love Life Constitutional Amendment authored by Rep. Katrina Jackson (D-Monroe) that recently passed the Louisiana House of Representatives, would prevent any decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court similar to today’s Kansas decision.
Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, said the following after learning of the decision: “Today’s decision in Kansas is exactly why Louisiana must pass the Love Life Amendment to the Louisiana Constitution. Kansas has become the 13th state to have its Supreme Court discover a right to abortion in its state’s constitution, thereby forcing abortion-on-demand in Kansas. By passing the Love Life Amendment, we can make sure that activist judges will never protect abortion by using the Louisiana Constitution.”
Kansas’ Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act is similar to Louisiana’s 2016 Act 264 Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act that is currently in federal court litigation.