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54 votes. That is all we could muster in the U.S. Senate over the past two weeks to defund Planned Parenthood and protect babies who feel pain at 20 weeks and later.
And don't get me wrong, 54 is much better than 42, which is the number of votes that were cast in 2011 to defund Planned Parenthood. In four years significant progress has been made. But it is a shame that 46 Senators are still so committed to the abortion industry that they would not even support these common-sense bills. Fortunately, Sens. Vitter and Cassidy voted for life. In the House, all our representatives, except Congressman Cedric Richmond, voted pro-life.
While efforts to defund Planned Parenthood in Congress have fallen short in the Senate because of the need to overcome the filibuster with 60 votes, pro-life hopes of putting legislation on President Obama's desk to defund Planned Parenthood are still alive in the form of a "reconciliation package" that will bypass the need for a 60-vote majority. This is the same method Congress used to pass Obamacare. After leadership elections in the House of Representatives next week (Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise is running for Majority Leader), we hope to see action on the reconciliation measure.
Along with National Right to Life, we believe any reconciliation package must include provisions to defund Planned Parenthood.
Unfortunately, we know that President Obama will do anything to help the abortion industry. Even if Congress puts legislation on President Obama's desk, he will veto it. But we must strive to place it there through reconciliation.
The entire scenario in Washington, D.C. surrounding the funding of Planned Parenthood should remind us why it is so critical to elect a pro-life President and reach a 60-vote pro-life majority in the Senate. With 403 days left until the 2016 election, and Planned Parenthood still receiving our tax-dollars, the stakes are high.
For a Pro-Life Louisiana,
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Join a Life Chain This Weekend!
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Members of White Dove Fellowship are shown participating in last year's Life Chain event in Slidell.
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Life Chains Forming in State, Country This Weekend
Life Chains will be formed in communities across the state and the U.S. on Sunday. It is the event's 28th year.
Life Chain is a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life individuals standing and praying for the nation and for an end to abortion. It is a visible statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the nation's churches support the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death.
Life Chains will be held on Sunday in Louisiana unless otherwise noted.
CLICK HERE to view the list of Louisiana Life Chains.
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Planned Parenthood NOLA
Will Soon Have Competition
We are excited for this news about our friends at the
Woman's New Life Center and their
coming medical facility to be located right next door to Planned Parenthood's new facility now under construction on South Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans.
Angie Thomas said the Woman's New Life Center has launched a fund-raising campaign to build
a full-service women's health clinic, and she hopes the financing will be in place by the end of the year to begin construction.
To Read the Full Story, Click Here
Please consider donating to help get their building up!
Click here to donate.
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Fund-Raiser for Acadiana Education Fund Oct. 13
You still have time to register for the second
Chers Bébés Soiree for Life in Lafayette on Oct. 13. The event is being held to raise funds to form the pro-life future of Acadiana.
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Winn Parish PULSE Youth Rally a Huge Success!
Saturday night's Winn Parish PULSE Youth Rally at East Winnfield Baptist Church was nothing less than amazing! More than 100 people attended our first-ever youth event that brought a much-needed awareness for our youth.
Kandace Landreneau, former Youth Programs Director for Louisiana Right to Life, spoke about the impact that abortion has on the unborn child and the mother, as well as our society. Everyone also enjoyed a wonderful meal provided by Ricky and Arlene Vines with donations from several local businesses that covered all the expenses for the food.
To Gather As One, a band from Ruston, created an electric atmosphere with their contemporary Christian concert. It was a night of food, music and fellowship and was jammed packed with information about the pro-life cause.
Students from around Winn Parish had a phenomenal opportunity to meet with local and associational leaders who work with Louisiana Right to Life and learned how they can get plugged into what is going on in our parish, state and country.
We are excited to see what those of us in Winn Parish can do to make an impact for the Pro-Life cause!
- Samantha Kelly
Winn Parish Pro-Life Ambassador
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Pro-Lifers Write Letters!
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(The following letter, written by Baton Rouge Right to Life President John Hauler, was published recently in The Advocate
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Silent No More on Babies' Lives
All lives matter, black, white and all colors in between. Planned Parenthood's excuses for the recent exposé videos only prove what pro-lifers have been saying since 1973. It is a baby! People who say dismemberment is for research, therefore, prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the fetus has human organs.
If the fetus is a "product of conception" between a human male and a human female, then the result is a human fetus with all human characteristics. It was a baby in 1973, and it is a baby today.
Planned Parenthood and other abortionists have been lying for years, apparently convincing the general public, as well as the media, that a fetus is not a baby until it is allowed to be born. That is to say, that it is wanted.
Too many people have been silent for too long. Babies have been killed with absolutely no feeling whatsoever. The current wave of videos exposing Planned Parenthood's activities is finally getting the people's attention: Abortionists are actually destroying infants with livers, hearts, lungs, kidneys and brains lying in a tray.
The abortionist uses ultrasound to ensure they are not damaging the part of the baby's body they wish to harvest. We, as fellow humans, must acknowledge that a human fetus is, in fact, a human baby. Abortion is wrong because it is the intentional killing of a human being.
If a doctor is trying to save the life of a woman who is also pregnant, one would hope he would try to do his best to save both the mother and child. No one lives forever, and it should not be the doctor's choice to decide which is to live. He or she must simply do their best to save both mother and child. Both are the patients.
Planned Parenthood has no such distinction. Kill the baby, harvest the body parts, if possible, and get paid for doing it. The United States has laws against killing animals; you would think they would have a law to protect humans, the highest form of animal life. However, the United States is very selective in their choices.
Today, human life is cheap. Reading the newspaper every day tells us just how cheap, with the gun violence seemingly increasing. Violence will not stop until society holds human life as sacred as it does a puppy dog or a kitten. The choice is ours; it is just a matter of caring and letting our government know that we do, in fact, care. We should not tolerate evil simply because it exists.
- John Hauler
President,
Baton Rouge Right to Life
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Where do candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and the Louisiana Senate and House stand on life issues?
Click Here to find out!
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Duck Dynasty Wife Lisa Robertson Opens Up About Her Abortion
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(Reprinted from The Luminary, summer edition
Lisa Robertson, the first Robertson daughter-in-law and a cast member of "Duck Dynasty," had an abortion when she was 16 years old, and she carried the pain and guilt of it with her for many years. She shared her story of abortion and much more in a book she co-wrote with her husband, Al, titled "A New Season, A Robertson Family Love Story of Brokenness and Redemption."
Lisa and Al, the oldest son of Phil and Kay Robertson, who founded Duck Commander, based in West Monroe, have been married more than 30 years and have been ministering by speaking at churches, marriage retreats, and seminars for more than 15 years. In their book they openly discuss infidelity, deceit, distrust and shame and the restoration of their marriage.
Lisa recently sat down to discuss her abortion and healing.
Q: In "A New Season" you describe yourself as "frightened, confused and burdened" when you found out you were pregnant at 16. And although your boyfriend wanted the baby, you made the decision to have an abortion. Was there anyone you confided in at this time who led you to believe aborting your baby was the right thing to do? What advise were you given, and what was your thought process at this time?
A: Once my mom and dad found out, they told my sister and brother-in-law. We had a family talk, and they thought I needed to have an abortion. My sister was married and actually thought about adopting the baby, but in the end decided it wasn't a good idea. My parents didn't want anyone to know about the pregnancy. When I thought of the future, I decided I didn't want a baby to raise at 16, either. My parents thought abortion was the best option, and I agreed.
Q: How much did you know about the abortion process when you began considering it, and did you know anyone else who had been through an abortion? If so, what did they tell you? If not, what did you expect?
A: I knew nothing about the process. I really mean nothing. I thought it was just a blob of tissue. I did not know that my baby already had a heartbeat, fingers, toes, legs, arms, a perfect head, eyes, mouth and nose. No one I knew had ever experienced one, or if they did, it was not something they shared. I don't remember anything like advertisements, commercials or radio commercials about places like pregnancy centers that help women make informed decisions.
Q: In your book you say the abortion was more traumatic for you that you ever thought it would be, and you suffered over it for years. Can you describe how it affected you mentally as time passed, and did it get worse as you got older?
A: The guilt was not truly realized by me until I was pregnant with our first daughter, Anna. My emotions were haywire anyway, but at that point I saw the error of what I'd done. Anna was born premature, and I decided that it was my fault because of the abortion.
Our daughter Alex almost came early, but a surgical procedure kept her in the womb. After Alex, we had a miscarriage. After each pregnancy the guilt became worse because I thought this was all linked to the abortion. I thought God was punishing me because I killed my baby at 16. I was convinced that my babies who I had given birth to were being hurt because of my sin. I felt as though each illness was all linked back to the abortion.
Q: You say you knew Jesus forgave you, but even so you still struggled for a long time to forgive yourself. Was there any particular event that led you to that moment? When you finally reached it, how did you feel?
A: Once I developed a personal relationship with God I knew that I did not serve a God who would punish me with trouble pregnancies and miscarriage. I realized that as soon as I gave my life to Christ, that sin was forgiven. But even though your head tells you that you're forgiven, it takes the heart longer to
process that forgiveness. In your head you know that Jesus took that sin to the cross, but you still can't see why your sin was forgiven. Why would Jesus do that? How could God extend that forgiveness?
Q: When you talk to other girls and women today who've had or are considering having an abortion, what advice do you give them?
A: When someone talks about an unwanted pregnancy or baby, I try to get them to see the life that is inside of them. I want them to know that their baby is alive, and it has a heartbeat. It has a life that could be, if allowed to live, a life of discoveries.
Cures for diseases, a president, a world leader or maybe just a person who grows up, marries their soul mate and has a family. I do know each life has the potential to become a Christian and tell others about forgiveness and God's power to save.
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Members of the St. Jude and St. Aloysius Moms' Rosary Groups in Baton Rouge joined forces to pray on Day 7. Two babies were reportedly saved that day.
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40 Days for Life Campaigns Get
Off to Strong Starts in Louisiana
6 Saves Reported in Opening Days
Many prayers are current being said to end abortion, both locally and around the world, as 40 Days for Life kicks into full gear. The 2015 campaign began Sept. 23 and lasts until Nov. 1, and in Louisiana prayer warriors are keeping vigil outside abortion clinics in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport.
 The
NEW ORLEANS 40 Days for Life campaign
has reported three saves in the first week as more than 100 men, women, teenagers and children have stood together to protect women and unborn children from abortion through inter-denominational prayer, peaceful vigils and community activism.
The campaign began with a sunrise prayer service at the vigil site. A closing candlelight vigil is planned on Nov. 1 in front of the Planned Parenthood construction site on S. Claiborne Avenue.
The New Orleans vigil site is near the Ridgelake abortion facility in Metairie, and a few days remain open for adoption. To check the schedule and sign up,
click here.
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| Vigil participants were happy to see a near empty parking lot at the Shreveport abortion facility yesterday. Wednesdays are usually very busy there, but prayers are working! |
The SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER campaign got off to a great start, according to Chairman Chris Davis. Twenty-five new sidewalk counselors were trained at the annual Sidewalk Counseling Training Event with Sidewalk Advocates for Life. SAFL executive director Lauren Muzyka equipped these new counselors with the skills to peacefully, lovingly reach out from the sidewalk outside Shreveport-Bossier's abortion facilities. They are able to offer life-affirming choices to women facing unplanned pregnancies
One short week later was the 40 Days for Life Kickoff Rally. Bishop Michael Duca led the opening prayer before dozens of people at Messmer Stadium. Keynote speaker, former Planned Parenthood referral center manager Ramona Trevino, shared her story of conversion to life. She told of how she was inspired by the local 40 Days for Life presence outside her very facility.
David reports a good presence on the sidewalk in the first few days of the campaign.
"We are very happy to report our first save by veteran sidewalk counselor Rachael Wells," he said. "She had a woman follow her in her car away from the Shreveport abortion facility and to the to the local crisis pregnancy center."
Perhaps the biggest news so far was the birth of baby Noah on Day One of this year's fall campaign. His mother and father had considered abortion during last year's spring campaign, but through the efforts of another of Shreveport-Bossier's veteran sidewalk counselors, Melissa Tittle, they chose life!
"Though we are faithful that God saves lives because of our prayers every day, this may be the first time we were able to actually meet a baby saved from our efforts," David said. "This time God has shown us in a powerful way the fruits of praying for an end to abortion."
The group's next event is the Midway Rally, set for Thursday, Oct. 10, at 10 a.m. at the vigil site near the Shreveport abortion facility located at 210 Kings Hwy.
Email Davis [email protected], contact him
at 318.349.3279, or visit
40daysforlifesb.com for more information.
BATON ROUGE has two events coming up soon. The first is Saturday, when pro-lifers will gather at 1:45 p.m. for a short prayer across the street from the vigil site at the Delta abortion facility (756 Colonial Drive) before heading to the sidewalk and stretching between Airline Highway to as far as the group can go westward to form a Life Chain. This is in conjunction with the national Life Chain event, which is Sunday.
Also, an evening of songs, prayers and reflections is set for Sunday, Oct. 11 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the vigil site. Kesley Mayes and Trey Bourgeois will lead attendees in song. Kesley is a student at LSU and is featured in a new Christian music video, "Vamanos." She and Trey are members of Parkview Baptist Church.
Co-Campaign Director Charlotte Bergeron reports that on Day 2
Nancy LeBlanc and her daughter, Katie, prayed at the vigil site.
Katie is a senior at Tara High School, a member of St. Patrick's, where she is an altar server, PSR co-teacher and a Youth Group member. She was confirmed last spring and also helps with St. Jean Vianney's Parents Night Out for Special Needs Children.
Katie was born with spina bifida, something her mom learned when she was pregnant. Tragically, 67 percent of children with spina bifida are aborted.
"Katie's life is a very powerful testimony to the sacredness and gift that life is from God," Bergeron said. "Challenging medical diagnoses are often a reason that parents choose abortion. We must all pray and reach out to those that are in the grips of fear, wondering what their child's life and their own life will be if they must take care of a child with a physical or mental impairment. Our value as human beings is not in what we can or cannot do; the very fact of our being created is the only thing that matters.
"It is marvelous that Katie is an excellent student, is on the homecoming court and is involved in a host of activities, but her value is in the fact that God loved her into existence. Many thanks to Nancy and Katie for sharing your story with all of us! It is a gift and a blessing to see your witness."
Bergeron also reported that on Day 7 the Delta abortion facility was very busy. The St. Jude Moms' Rosary Group was joined in its weekly hour of prayer by the St. Aloysius Moms, and it was a beautiful witness with the moms, babies and toddlers. Two babies were saved that day!
In all, she said, 421 people have prayed at the vigil site from Day 1-8. Special congratulations to St. Patrick's Catholic Church that had a stellar turnout with 138 people attending the first of the two days they have adopted. St. Michael's High School was in that number with 13 students and faculty present. SMHS has signed up for a weekly hour of prayer at Delta abortion facility.
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