Adoption Initiatives in LA!

https://youtu.be/bSsIC_GMdPI

Louisiana Right to Life has always been active in promoting the hope and beauty of adoption. We’ve helped pass numerous bills at the Louisiana State Capitol to advance adoption, with the most recent being the Adoption Tax Credit Act (House Bill 443) by Rep. Rick Edmonds and Sen. Sharon Hewitt. HB 443 provides a refundable $5,000 tax credit for privately adopting a child under the age of 3.

After final passage in June, we hosted an “Adoption Celebration” at the Louisiana State Capitol with Rep. Rick Edmonds, St. Elizabeth Foundation and Catholic Charities as well as adoptive parents, birth mothers, and adoptees.  Birth mother Kimberly Shultz shared her adoption placement experience. She said, “To save my baby from the…tragic way of life that I was living in I chose to place him up for adoption. All of these years later I have three more boys, I’m married, and we’ve actually thought about adopting a couple of times. Because I’ve always wanted to love on another birth mother the way that my birth son’s adoptive family has loved on me,” Shultz shared.

We believe this tax-credit will incentive families as well as help babies in need of forever families. It is also a step in the right direction for making adoption more financially feasible.

Watch our video to see our entire program and check out the news coverage around the state.  Also check out our 2023 Legislative Report here.