By Baptist Message staff
BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana legislature, during its May 25 session, approved a resolution that designates June as Sanctity of Preborn Life Month in the state.
The resolution, which praises Louisiana Baptists’ role in the pro-life movement, notes “the Bible affirms that the preborn child is a person, bearing the image of God, from the moment of conception” and commends “the churches and individuals who worked tirelessly to cultivate a pro-life culture in our state through prayer, spiritual health and growth of our citizenry regarding pro-life matters, and public policy action including the overwhelming passage of the 2020 constitutional amendment, the Love Life Amendment.”
Rep. Dodie Horton, member of First Baptist Church, Haughton, said she was honored to co-author the resolution with Rep. Valerie Hodges on behalf of Louisiana Baptists.
“The majority of Louisiana citizens believe life begins at conception, and consistently support our pro-life laws,” Horton told the Baptist Message. “Although we celebrate the Sanctity of the Preborn Life each and every day, designating June as the month to celebrate the lives of our preborn is a sign of our commitment to never allow innocent lives to be legally murdered again.”
Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Ben Clapper echoed the thought.
“We are grateful that the Louisiana House of Representative has declared June as Sanctity of Preborn Life Month to recognize the one-year anniversary of the historic decision that overturned Roe v. Wade,” Clapper said. “Together during June, let us strengthen our efforts to defend every baby and help every mom. Louisiana Right to Life is grateful for the continued pro-life dedication of Louisiana Baptists.”
BACKGROUND
In 2020, Louisiana Baptists helped in a large way to pass the 2020 state constitutional amendment, the Love Life Amendment (which prevents a rogue actor in the judicial system from suddenly finding a right to abortion in the state constitution that is not actually written in it). The statewide ballot initiative garnered 1,274,167 favorable votes, the most in Louisiana’s history for either a candidate or ballot measure.
Two years later, messengers to the Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting passed a resolution thanking God for the Supreme Court’s June 22, 2022, pro-life ruling. The decision overturned the previous rulings in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) — two cases that led to more than 63 million preborn lives lost in a 49-year span — and returned “the authority to regulate abortion … to the people and their elected representatives.” For Louisiana it triggered a ban on abortion that had been signed into law in 2006 and updated in 2022, causing the state’s three licensed abortion clinics to close.
The full bill:
To recognize the month of June as Sanctity of Preborn Life Month in Louisiana.
Whereas, the Bible affirms that the preborn child is a person, bearing the image of God, from the moment of conception (Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 1:44); and
Whereas, Louisiana Baptists have historically recognized the sanctity of life in the womb and repeatedly reaffirmed our pro-life ethic, our opposition to the heinous act of abortion, our support for abortion-vulnerable women, as well as our commitment to the sanctity of marriage and the health and growth of families; and
Whereas, Louisiana Baptists have prayerfully sought God’s favor in moving the nation’s highest court to affirm the truth that life begins at conception and that the preborn are worthy of dignity and protection; and
Whereas, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn its harmful decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which, combined, led to more than sixty-three million preborn lives lost during the past forty-nine years; and
Whereas, the Legislature of Louisiana, with the supporter of the governors of Louisiana and the citizens of our state, enacted laws to end abortion in our state once Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey were overturned; and
Whereas, the messengers to the 175th session of the Louisiana Baptist Convention meeting in Alexandria, on November 15, 2022, praise God and thank Him for His favor in the long-term effort to overturn the disastrous pro-abortion precedents set in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey; and
Whereas, we applaud justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas for their courageous unity in the face of threats of violence against them and their families to stand firm in returning “the authority to regulate abortion … to the people and their elected representatives,” allowing Louisiana and other states to ban abortion, thus protecting the lives of the preborn and upholding the sanctity of the parent-child relationship; and
Whereas, we commend the churches and individuals who have worked tirelessly to cultivate a pro-life culture in our state through prayer, spiritual health and growth of our citizenry regarding pro-life matters, and public policy action including the overwhelming passage of the 2020 constitutional amendment, the Love Life Amendment.
Therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby implore Louisiana Baptists to increase their efforts to serve and support local pregnancy centers, pro-life organizations, and foster-care and adoptive families and to undertake the valuable and often under-recognized work in the care of mothers and children at every stage of life and the support of fathers so they may effectively bear their parental responsibilities.
Be it further resolved that we stand with and pray for abortion-vulnerable women and the fathers of preborn children to eliminate any perceived need for the horror of abortion and to oppose Planned Parenthood and other predatory organizations or institutions who exploit vulnerable women for profit.
Be it further resolved that the House of Representatives of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby recognize the month of June as Sanctity of Preborn life Month in Louisiana in celebration of the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
