Louisiana Right to Life scores state legislators on a variety of pro-life votes each session, and 2019 was no different. Our legislators cast some critical votes in 2019, including on the Heartbeat Bill and the Love Life Constitutional Amendment. Take a look at your legislators’ voting record to see where they stand on life!
House members were scored on eight votes, and 65% received a 100% pro-life rating. Senators were scored on seven votes, with 69% receiving a 100% pro-life rating. (See bills scored below)
Click here to view the 2019 voting records
The end of the 2019 legislative session also brought about the end of the four-year term of current legislators, and Louisiana Right to Life has now released the Pro-Life Scorecards for the House and Senate ahead of the 2019 fall elections. In the years from 2016-2019, Louisiana Right to Life scored 24 votes in the Senate and 25 in the House.
Click to View 2016-19 House Scorecard
Click to View 2016-19 Senate Scorecard
Elections for both House and Senate seats will be held this fall. In addition, many of these legislators have served the maximum number of terms allowed by state law (three terms/12 years), so they’ll either retire from the Legislature or run for a seat in the opposite chamber.
Louisiana Right to Life is now collecting legislative candidate questionnaires from those running for the House and Senate seats. If you know someone who is running, please forward our questionnaire to them and urge them to fill it out. In August, we will report on all the responses of candidates running across Louisiana!
2019 Scored Votes
• SB 184, the Unborn Child Heartbeat Protection Act
The Heartbeat Bill by Sen. John Milkovich to protect an unborn human being with a detectable fetal heartbeat. (This bill will only take effect after a similar Mississippi bill has made its way through the court system.) This bill passed and was signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
• SB 184, Heartbeat Bill, Floor Amendment 3333 (House)
This amendment by Rep. James would have added a rape and incest exception to the bill. It was defeated.
• SB 184 Heartbeat Bill, Floor Amendment 3414 (House)
This amendment by Rep. Bagneris was the pro-abortion nuclear amendment, applying not only the rape and incest amendment, but also allowing the woman to have an abortion anytime she “invokes her constitutional right to choose the abortion procedure.” Essentially, it would have rendered the bill meaningless. It was defeated.
• HB 425, the Love Life Constitutional Amendment
The Love Life Constitution Amendment, which, if approved by voters on Nov. 3, 2020, will ensure there is no right to abortion or the taxpayer funding of abortion in our state constitution. The bill by Rep. Katrina Jackson passed both chambers by the necessary 2/3 margin and was sent to Secretary of State.
• HB 133 Chemical Abortion Regulation Act
This legislation by Rep. Frank Hoffman ensures that the licensing and regulation of abortion will apply equally to providers of all methods of abortion, including both surgical and chemical abortions. The bill passed and was signed into law by Gov. Edwards.
• SB 221 Abortion Physician Disclosure Act
This bill by Sen. Beth Mizell provides women at abortion facilities clear information about the qualifications and disciplinary history of abortion physicians. It passed and was signed into law by Gov. Edwards.
• SB 238, Trafficking at Abortion Facility Prevention Act
This bill by Sen. Mizell requires health practitioners and abortion clinic employees to report human trafficking and trafficking of children for sexual purposes to law enforcement. It passed and was signed into law by Gov. Edwards.
• HB 484, Protection of Patient Records at Abortion Facilities Act
This bill by Rep. Raymond Crewes establishes requirements for abortion facilities to preserve medical records of women upon whom abortions are performed. It passed and was signed by Gov. Edwards.
• SCR 2, the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment Ratification
Authored by Sen. J.P. Morrell, ratification of the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment would have cemented the policy of abortion-on-demand in our nation. LARTL opposed it due to its pro-abortion impact. It failed in the Senate.
