LOUISIANA (KLFY) — Friday morning, the Supreme Court made a historic decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, giving each state the authority to limit or ban abortions. Louisiana leaders have already begun responding to the decision, some offering praise.
In its opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the majority of Supreme Court Justices declared that Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood were wrongly decided. The 6-3 decision is expected to elicit political and emotional responses across the nation. Here’s what some of Louisiana’s political officials have said in response so far.
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Attorney General Jeff Landry said Louisiana’s trigger law on abortion is effective immediately, banning abortions in the state. He called the decision a victory for mothers and unborn babies. His statement is as follows:
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. Today, along with millions across Louisiana and America, I rejoice with my departed Mom and the unborn children with her in Heaven!
The Supreme Court has finally returned to the Constitution and delegated power back to the people. Our State’s representatives, held accountable by their constituents, should – and now again can – determine abortion policy not the federal government.
As noted in both my legal brief to the Supreme Court and the majority’s opinion: the Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.
Because of the Court’s ruling in this case about a Mississippi law limiting abortions after 15 weeks of gestation with exceptions for health emergencies and fetal abnormalities, Louisiana’s trigger law banning abortion is now in effect.
My office and I will do everything in our power to ensure the laws of Louisiana that have been passed to protect the unborn are enforceable, even if we have to go back to court.
As the chief legal officer for our State, I will continue defending Louisiana’s pro-life laws and working to ensure the health and safety of women and their babies.
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Senator Bill Cassidy also agreed with the decision, saying that it recognizes unborn children have a right to life.
“Being pro-life means being pro-mothers, pro-babies, and pro-healthy futures—a philosophy I carry with me in the Senate. This is a deeply emotional issue for many Americans, no matter which side one stands, but it is now up to individual states to enact their own policies.”
Cassidy also introduced legislation this week that would criminalize individuals who leak confidential information from the Supreme Court. The act, entitled “Stop Supreme Court Leakers Act,” would require a $10,000 fine and impose up to a 10-year sentence on those who leak information from the Court. It would also enforce a seizure of profits derived from a leak, which could include book deals, television contracts, etc.
The proposed legislation comes after a draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion on Roe v. Wade was leaked last month.
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This week, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a controversial abortion bill into law ahead of the expected SCOTUS decision. Senate Bill 342, penned by Senator Katrina Jackson, criminalizes doctors for performing abortions. The bill does not make exceptions for rape or incest.
Edwards called himself “pro-life” but stands firm in the belief that there should be an exception to the prohibition of abortion for victims of rape and incest. However, he said vetoing the bill would not accomplish that end and would leave fewer exceptions in place when the bill becomes law, which was pending the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Under Senate Bill 342, doctors can face thousands of dollars in fines and years in prison should they perform abortions if the Supreme Court makes a move to remove protections for abortions. The bill passed overwhelmingly in both the Louisiana House and Senate before making it to Edwards’ desk for his signature.
Click here to read Edwards’ signing letter on SB 342.
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Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down Roe V. Wade:
“This ruling strikes down a half-century of precedent, settled law and most importantly, access to safe and responsible medical care for millions of women. A half-century of women empowered to make their own healthcare decisions has now been tossed away by a half-dozen activist, fundamentalist Supreme Court Justices obsessed with driving a political agenda. A half-century of women being able to access safe medical care who now find themselves at risk of bodily harm, and even death, as this ruling reopens the ‘Back Alley’ for business,” said Mayor Cantrell.
“We mourn not just for the future this heartbreaking and dangerous ruling creates for the women of today but also for the barriers and burdens this reprehensible ruling creates for the women of tomorrow. Our daughters and granddaughters deserve better than to grow up in a country where the most personal of decisions are regulated by politicians.”
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Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. released the following statement after the Supreme Court took the extraordinary, unprecedented step of taking away individual rights for the first time in history.
“Today the Supreme Court acted not to expand, but to take away the rights and freedoms of the American people for the first time in our nation’s history. Today, six members of the Supreme Court have inserted themselves between patients and doctors. They have interrupted these private conversations with far-right legal principles that limit personal healthcare decisions like when to start a family.”
“This is an infuriating trampling of privacy that should anger every single American, and it puts many people at risk. As a person of faith, I have faith in God first. But I also hold faith in the people – in my brothers, sisters, and neighbors. I have faith in America, and the liberties and freedoms that we hold dear. I have faith that we must all have the chance to make the right choices for ourselves, our health and our families. That’s what freedom is all about.”
“For Louisianians, we have entered a dark new stage of our state’s history. New restrictions have been triggered outlawing all abortion in our state, with minimal exceptions for safety or circumstance. Even under Roe we were already failing our mothers – the United States has the worst maternal mortality rate among developed nations, and Black women face disproportionately terrible outcomes. It breaks my heart that those who already had the fewest resources in Louisiana and many other states are now left without any options at all. This is especially true for low-income, Black, Indigenous, and women of color in our state who already faced devastatingly high rates of maternal mortality and poor maternal health outcomes.”
“For them and many others, the post-Roe reality we now face is even more perilous than it was before. This new reality not only includes forced birth, but potentially death from unsafe medical procedures, or a dangerous pregnancy itself. This ruling and wider debate is not about life, it’s about control. If it were truly about life, our nation and Louisiana would be investing in prenatal care, early childhood education, food assistance, universal pre-K, and other policies that improve outcomes for children. Now, we must ask ourselves the question: if some rights are not sacred in this nation, are any rights sacred in this nation?”
“Trump planted far-right judges into our judiciary, and now we are witnessing the first sprouts of those evil seeds. Unfortunately, there is more harvest to come. The courts gave women the right to birth control, the courts gave women the right to open their own credit card. The courts gave everyone in America the right to marry the person they love, regardless of race or gender. Just like reproductive freedom, many states like Louisiana still have original laws on the books and only the Supreme Court prevents these laws from snapping back into effect.”
“Elections have consequences, but those consequences should never be the deprivation of rights once given. This decision is lawless and flies in the face of precedent. Not only the precedent of Roe and Casey, but every precedent in American history. In Congress, I will continue to do all I can to expand access to the full complement of reproductive healthcare and fight to re-instate the rights and freedoms of the American people.”
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District Attorney Jason Williams said:
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade demonstrates complete disregard for the long-established constitutional tenets of our democracy, and is a cruel and irresponsible stripping of a woman’s agency. It is disappointing but unsurprising that many of our leaders are focused not on trying to lift our existing children out of the poverty and trauma that are the root causes of crime, but on creating more desperate situations for women and families.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office is focused on pursuing accountability and justice for the most serious crimes committed in our community – the ones that keep mothers, fathers, and families up at night – like murders, shootings, rapes, armed robberies, and carjackings. It would not be wise or prudent to shift our priority from tackling senseless violence happening in our city to investigating the choices women make with regard to their own bodies. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe does not change that.”
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Also weighing in on the decision, Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans. Archbishop Aymond urges families to step up, saying, the Church must encourage families to support their daughters and sons when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
Today, the United States Supreme Court reversed course on the 1972 Roe v Wade decision that made abortion on demand the law of the land by returning this issue to the individual states to govern restrictions and access to abortion. We give thanks to God that the injustice of abortion on demand has come to an end, and that we as a society will have the opportunity to save more innocent unborn lives.
The people of God in the Archdiocese of New Orleans must stand ready to support mothers in need and their babies. We must do what we can to advocate for medical care and resources for mothers and their families. We must support businesses that put women and families first in their practices. We must provide real resources for vulnerable women in unplanned pregnancies and encourage families to support their daughters and sons when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
Perhaps more importantly, we must do more to change the hearts and minds of people when it comes to the dignity of all human life. We must form our young people in the truth of Christ and natural law about the right to life. We must teach our young women and men respect for themselves and their full and authentic femininity and masculinity. We must be consistent in our ethics regarding life from the womb to the sick and elderly to the prisoner. As Catholics we must unequivocally stand for the dignity and respect for all human life from conception to natural death.
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In Mississippi, State Treasurer David McRae released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and overturned both the Roe and Casey decisions:
“Our constitution states clearly that all people, no matter how small, are created equal. It celebrates the fact that in America we are guaranteed a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A half-century after the devastating Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court has restored the strength of these convictions and re-established our country’s calling to protect these certain and unalienable rights. I thank the citizens of Mississippi, our legislature, and our leaders for being bold enough to push our nation toward this life-affirming decision.”
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Jan Moller, Executive Director of the Louisiana Budget Project, believes the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade should “serve as a clarion call to Louisiana policymakers to increase the support our state provides to low-income families and communities of color.” Director Moller issued the following statement:
Today’s decision means access to abortion services is now illegal in Louisiana, thanks to state “trigger” laws that also will criminalize people who provide abortions. This will have a disproportionate impact on Black women, who make up one-third of Louisiana’s population and two-thirds of those who received abortions in 2021. It will also disproportionately affect people with low incomes, as national data shows that nearly half of all people who get abortions have incomes below the federal poverty line.
This decision does not mean the end to abortions in America or Louisiana. It means that pregnant people with financial means will still get abortions in other states. Others will defy the law and get abortions in Louisiana, risking imprisonment and death.
But many other Louisianans will now be carrying unwanted pregnancies to term, thanks to policy choices made by our elected officials. This means Louisiana policymakers must provide stronger support for women and families that struggle to make ends meet, something they haven’t always done in the years leading up to the Roe reversal.
Policymakers should use this moment to redouble their efforts to reduce the state’s shameful maternal mortality rate, and ensure families have access to paid leave after giving birth. It means Congress must expand the federal Child Tax Credit, and that the state should pass its own credit to provide financial support for families. It means finally establishing a minimum wage to make it easier for people to provide for their families, and ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable housing.
Louisiana has long been a state that prides itself on being “pro-life.” Today’s court decision adds urgency to policymakers’ decisions to more fully support all Louisiana families.
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STATEMENT from Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, on the ruling:
“The Court’s opinion delivers a wrecking ball to the constitutional right to abortion, destroying the protections of Roe v. Wade, and utterly disregarding the one in four women in America who make the decision to end a pregnancy. While public support for access to abortion is at an all-time high, the Court has hit a new low by taking away – for the first time ever – a constitutionally guaranteed personal liberty.
Today’s decision will ignite a public health emergency. Utter chaos lies ahead, as some states race to the bottom with criminal abortion bans, forcing people to travel across multiple state lines and, for those without means to travel, carry their pregnancies to term — dictating their health, lives, and futures. One day, the regressive and cruel Dobbs decision will be reversed for its brazen disregard for the rights of women and the rule of law. Until then, we will use every legal lever to ensure that every person’s right to make decisions about their body and their lives is realized, and that they have access to the full range of reproductive healthcare.”
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Statement from Vangela M. Wade, president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, which is co-counsel on Dobbs v. Jackson:
“It’s the day we all feared. Today, the Supreme Court has ruled that the government gets to decide whether and when a woman has a child. It’s abusive, dangerous, and unconstitutional. Make no mistake: The right to choose is absolutely essential. Only the woman knows her physical and mental health, her job, her income, and how much more she can or cannot bear. She is also the only person who knows whether her partner will be supportive, will abandon her, or will abuse her and her child. She, not a politician, needs the autonomy to decide whether to move forward with a pregnancy.”
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House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) says that “Life Wins Today.” Scalise and many other members of the House Republican Conference celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Whip Scalise praised the pro-life movement for its decades of work advocating on behalf of unborn babies and emphasized that the Supreme Court’s decision is a major victory for the pro-life movement as well as the millions of Americans across the country who never stop fighting for life.
“What a historic day this is, and what a great victory for life. And it’s not just a victory for life, it’s a victory for millions of people who have been part of this pro-life movement for decades, who have gone to state legislatures, who have gotten involved in the political process, who’ve prayed, and prayers were answered today. The decades of work [are] celebrated today.
“But the work just begins now to go and protect life even more because the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, correcting that flawed decision, finally allows states and Congress to protect life in ways that we never were able to for the last 50 years. That debate was silenced during the years Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, but that debate just begins again in so many places in this country.
“You know, one of the most inspirational days of the year is the March for Life. It’s a day where thousands of young people come to Washington, not to cause violence, but to celebrate life and to pray and work that we can end abortion in this country. Because for many of them, the first picture they have [of] themselves is in their mother’s womb. And so, when we celebrate this victory, I think back to 2006 when I was a state representative in Louisiana, and I co-authored a law that I wondered if I would ever see implemented. That law says if Roe v. Wade is overturned, then abortion would end in Louisiana, [which was] signed by our Democrat Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.
“Because, you see, life across this country has been a bipartisan battle. People in the pro-life movement have been bipartisan. When you see the debate up here, unfortunately, it’s become partisan because the far-left has tried to shut down this debate. But in so many states, Republicans and Democrats come together to support life, and I’m so proud to say that right now, in my state, that law from 2006, even strengthened by recent actions, will now become law today. I wondered if I would see that. But I now see that moment in about a dozen other states are going to have their similar laws take effect right now, on this historic day. And many other states are going to start a renewed debate that had been shut down for decades, but finally begins anew. God bless life. God answers prayers.”
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Statement from Petrice Sams-Abiodun, PhD, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships-Louisiana, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast:
“With this ruling, millions of Louisianans have lost access to safe, legal abortion and their fundamental human right to control their body, health, and life. We know, Black, Latino and Indigenous people, and people living with low incomes and in rural areas will feel the impact of this ruling most severely because these communities have long faced barriers to essential health care due to structural racism and discrimination. While we have seen the writing on the wall for decades, it is no less devastating.”
“Planned Parenthood believes every single person deserves access to sexual and reproductive health care no matter their income, state of residence, immigration status or zip code. Our health centers remain open and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure all people get the sexual and reproductive health care they need.”
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Syrita Steib, candidate for U.S. Senate in Louisiana, is devastated by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In Syrita’s words, “the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade is a tragic miscarriage of Justice on the rights of women, one which has erased 40 years of hard-fought progress with the stroke of a pen.”
Syrita believes that stripping a woman of her right to reproductive freedom will directly hurt millions of people for generations to come, with the heaviest burden being carried by poor, birthing communities. “Banning abortion doesn’t end abortion – it forces women to obtain the procedure illegally,” she said. “The risk women face becomes insurmountable when states ban abortion without making exceptions for women whose medical safety is jeopardized through childbirth, or for the victims of rape or incest. When a woman doesn’t have the financial means to leave the state, banning abortion will force her to risk her own life. This decision is unjust, brutally discriminatory, and places a deadly burden on America’s most disadvantaged communities.”
Syrita’s devastation is deepened by the news that earlier this week, Gov. Edwards signed a ‘trigger law’ that instantly criminalized abortions upon the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “The Louisiana Legislature has failed to stand up for all Louisianians. Its decision to sign a bill that criminalizes abortions underscores our government’s blatant disregard for women’s rights. This law is dangerous, deadly, and discriminatory for all women, especially in a state with one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country” she said.
“This is a dark day for America,” Syrita told her campaign staff earlier this morning. “We must continue fighting to protect the rights of women. The midterm elections are a chance for us to hold our government accountable, for us to show them that women’s rights are human rights. I am grateful for the progress that activists, advocates, and policymakers have made over the last 40 years, and I know that now is the moment for us to fight harder than ever before to protect our rights, our children’s rights, and the rights of women for generations to come.”
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Leaders of the Metropolitan Community Church are denouncing this decision and its wide-reaching impact on women and families.
“We have long stood for reproductive freedom, and we’re appalled by this decision,” said Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston, moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches worldwide. “The innate right to self-determination must, perforce, include the right to control over one’s own body – and, certainly, to one’s own reproduction. The United States was founded on the principles of religious liberty and individual freedom – along with personal responsibility. That the very institutions of a country that prides itself on liberty have now taken this step backward is horrifying.
“No civilized nation can eliminate basic freedoms without descending the legendary ‘slippery slope’ towards totalitarianism,” Eggleston said. “How many times have we seen this in human history? How many more times must we see it?
“No one is ‘pro-abortion,” the moderator said. “But freedom-loving people can clearly accept the importance of self-determination. The slippery slope has been activated and descended. What personal freedoms will be compromised next?”
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Women with a Vision released the following statement in response to leading Democrats’ calls for Americans to take action during this year’s midterm elections:
“Democrats had almost 50 years to make our right to abortion federal law. To think that they’ll finally get around to protecting our essential right to bodily autonomy now that the highest court in the land has stricken that right from the books, is absurd. Furthermore, for our elected leaders to tell millions of birthing people that their only remedy is to vote in the next election is even more ridiculous.
Yes, we will be at the polls. But right now our focus is on supporting the millions of birthing people in this country for whom this ruling is absolutely calamitous. Voting in the midterms won’t help those who need abortion care now. What we need now is support in making sure our friends, neighbors, and loved ones can access the lifesaving abortion care they need. We need support in ensuring everyone has comprehensive sex education and access to contraception as a method of harm reduction. We need legal protections for the reproductive justice advocates throughout this country who will be charged with stewarding their neighbors through the process of obtaining abortion care,” said Women with a Vision Executive Director Deon Haywood
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U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04) calls the decision historic and joyful, saying the Supreme Court corrected an “egregious error” and returned the decision of abortion to the people and their elected representatives.
No real ‘constitutional right’ to abortion ever existed. The Court invented it out of thin air. House Republicans will continue to stand for the sanctity of human life and hold the Biden Administration accountable for any future attempt to impede the policy decisions of pro-life states.
Rep. Mike Johnson
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This story will continue to be updated.