In This Issue...
From Our Director...
BC
As 2015 begins, I encourage all of you to make a resolution for the pro-life cause.  Remember, we all have a role to play in this effort, no matter your state-in-life or profession. 

Here are a few ideas:

* Wear Your Precious Feet Pin every day.
* Pray outside an abortion facility at least once a month, and invite others when you do so.
* Make a pro-life post on your social media page once a week.
* Attend a pro-life event you have not been to before.
* Make a donation to a pro-life group every month.

It is easy to let the pro-life cause slip out of the front of our minds with the pace of our everyday life. But we cannot forget the plight of the unborn child. Let 2015 be the year you take a step forward in your defense of human life.

For a Pro-Life Louisiana,   
Benjamin Clapper

P.S. Please join us January 17 in Shreveport and January 24 in Baton Rouge!
Proudly Pro-Life Dinner
Archbishop Aymond Being Honored at Dinner

Archbishop of New Orleans Gregory Aymond will be honored with the Proudly Pro-Life Award at the 16th annual New Orleans Proudly Pro-Life Dinner on Thursday, January 8.

The Archbishop has been a strong advocate on behalf of the unborn, aged, and the terminally ill. Over the past two years he has led the way in boldly denouncing Planned Parenthood and its plan to build an abortion facility on Claiborne Avenue.

The dinner will be held at Chateau Country Club in Kenner. Tickets are $100 per person (not available at the door), and sponsorships of a student, seminarian, or pastor are an additional $50 donation.

Camp Joshua

Four "Camp Joshua" Events This Spring!

Camp Joshua* 2015 is right around the corner! For years, our dynamic weekend "Camp Joshua" events have trained high school students in the pro-life cause and sent them back to their schools and communities to make a difference.   

The camp schedule is:
* Baton Rouge, March 13-15
* Baton Rouge, April 10-12
* Covington, May 1-3
* Shreveport, May 15-17

Registration will be open soon online at CampJoshuaLA.org
Contact Youth Programs Director Kandace Landreneau for more information at 318.218.7030
 or kandace@prolifelouisiana.org.

* The Joshua of Camp Joshua is not connected to Kathy Allen's son, Joshua, show to the right.
News Around the Nation...
Pro-Life Related Stories  Trending Around Nation
(Click on blue to read more) 

* A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court judge's decision striking down The "Right to View" provision of North Carolina's 2011 "Woman's Right to Know" law. That provision requires that an ultrasound image of the unborn child be displayed at least four hours prior to an abortion so that the mother might view it and that she be given the opportunity to hear the unborn child's heartbeat.

 

 * In a just-released Rolling Stone feature, pop singer Nicki Minaj confirmed suspicions that the baby alluded to in her song "All Things Go" had been aborted. She told the magazine: I thought I was going to die... I was a teenager. It was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through. (The abortion) haunted me all my life.

 

 * If Planned Parenthood has any commitment to women, it's to help them kill their unborn babies. In its new annual report released Monday, Planned Parenthood says it performed 327,653 abortionsin the 2013 reporting year. Once again, hundreds of thousands of babies died in the name of "women's health." The number of abortions is up a few hundred over last year, which may not seem like much - until you realize that's hundreds more human lives snuffed out with machines so Planned Parenthood can make more money. And for their efforts, the abortion leader also received $528,400,000, or 41% of its annual revenue, in taxpayer funding.

 

* A new survey conducted by Operation Rescue of all abortion facilities in the United States has confirmed that the abortion clinic closure trend continued strongly in 2014. In all, 73 abortion facilities shut down for all or part of the year. The total number of all remaining abortion clinics in the US is currently 739.

 

* CNN's Poppy Harlow interviewed Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke about the recent protests that some in the Black Community have sparked after the police related deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

Harlow asked the Sheriff about a tweet he sent out implying that if Black lives mattered the protesters would be outside abortion clinics because of the high numbers of black babies killed by abortion. The tweet sent by Sheriff Clarke, a black man himself, was sent to Mitch Smith, Journalist in the Chicago bureau of The New York Times and read, "If only these faux protesters were asked by media about all the black on black killing or black babies aborted in US every year."

 

* Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby have long rallied for U.S. Peace Corps members to have abortion coverage footed by federal tax funding. According to The Hill,  efforts by Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) have granted their wish through the Appropriations bill:

Though it was best known for preventing a government shutdown, the Appropriations bill also contained provisions that will ensure for the first time that Peace Corps volunteers have access to abortion in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the woman.

 

* When they take over the Senate this month, Republicans will promote legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks and protect unborn babies who are capable of feeling intense pain in abortions. Although they will be in the minority in both the House and the Senate, Democrats are preparing an all-out assault on the pro-life legislation.

Sen. Patty Murray, a pro-abortion Democrat from Washington state, has been one of the leading abortion activists int he Senate for years and she will be the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will finally hold a hearing on the bill next year now that pro-abortion Senate Democratic Leader won't be controlling the upper chamber any longer. Murray plans to lead the pro-abortion crusade to keep late-term abortions legal.

LEARNING FROM JOSHUA 
Ending Tragedy of Abortion in Black Community is Personal for Director

By Kathy Allen, Ph.D., State Director
Louisiana Black Advocates for Life 
Kathy and Joshua Allen

Happy New Year, and Peace to You from Louisiana Black Advocates for Life!

 

As we begin the year 2015 here in Louisiana, we look forward with hope in the knowledge of last year's successes and understanding the ongoing challenges for the pro-life community. As a Black woman and single mom, I am well aware of the issues that influence decisions about life for ourselves and our children.

 

Data for 2014 is not yet in,

but we know that in 2013 6,000 Black women decided to end the lives of their unborn babies in abortion clinics across our state. That's 6,000 boys and girls - potential educators, health care professionals, clergy, athletes, contributors to art and music - who never took a breath. The deaths from abortion in the Black community were more than the combined total of deaths from HIV, cancer and heart disease. Black women had 60 percent of all abortions in Louisiana in 2013, although we are only 32 percent of the population. One in every five Black babies in our state died in an abortion clinic. The fact is, ABORTION IS THE NO. 1 KILLER OF BLACK PEOPLE IN LOUISIANA.

Click to Watch the New "Wiped Out By Abortion" Video

Many of you may be wondering why you have not heard more about it if it is, in fact, such a terrible problem. The fact is there is a great deal of secrecy in the Black community surrounding the issue of abortion. Women who have had abortions are reluctant to talk about it for fear of being judged and perhaps becoming a subject of gossip. People in leadership roles in our community, especially our pastors, may not discuss abortion from the pulpit or in community forums. This may give the woman who has had an abortion the impression that what she has done is so bad it cannot even be spoken about in public.  

 

I used to be one of those silent women. The courage to speak out and receive healing came from the son to whom I gave birth eight years ago. My son, Joshua, was born with Down syndrome. I had the fear and anxiety experienced by many parents who receive this prenatal diagnosis. But after my son's birth I saw that he was a beautiful baby, just like other babies. As he began to grow and develop I was delighted to see wonderful gifts and talents springing up in him. He has a desire to be independent and to learn new things, just like other children. He is the great joy of my life.

 

Watching my son I realized that when I made a decision many years ago I had been focused only on my life, and not on the life of a human being who was Joshua's sibling. So, I am "preaux-life" (as we say here in Acadiana) because of my desire to reach other women and men who may need encouragement to break their silence. I am healed through sharing my personal story, and I am also blessed by the encouragement of others. I better understand the problem of abortion in the Black community, and I am determined to do my part, whatever it may be, to end this tragic reality.  

 

And that's what the pro-life movement is all about - celebrating life, and moreover, protecting life. It is about embracing the truth that life begins at the moment of conception. It is about choosing the path that will lead to personal integrity, strong families, supportive and caring neighborhoods, and a community that embodies a culture of life. The pro-life movement begins with you.

 

Louisiana Black Advocates for Life is an initiative that seeks to empower individuals to create a stronger culture of life in our community. Six thousand Black women recently believed that killing their unborn babies in abortion clinics was the best choice for themselves and their families. Death is not the answer for our Black community. We at Black Advocates for Life believe women and men who have sufficient information, connections to resources, and support networks will be strong enough to choose life for their unborn babies. We also believe that young people who are provided with information about life challenges in the black community will be empowered to make good, life-affirming choices that will promote the growth of a vibrant culture of life.  

 

Ending abortion in the Black community depends on you. Your concern, your love for life, your desire to join hands with others in solidarity to promote life in our community. We request the honor of your presence in the pro-life movement in Louisiana. May 2015 be a year of prosperity and joy for you, and for our community.

 

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not."

- Dr. Seuss


Will You Join Us This Month 
to March for Life in Louisiana?
Events Are in Shreveport, Baton Rouge 

Will you march with us to  DEFEND THE DEFENSELESS?

 

The pro-life movement in Louisiana will reflect on 42 years of Roe v. Wade and remember the thousands of lives lost to abortion in our state with two Louisiana Life March events on consecutive Saturdays this month.

   

The LLM North, in its second year, begins at 10 AM on Saturday, January 17, at Bossier City's Louisiana Boardwalk, travels across the Texas Street bridge, and ends at Shreveport's Festival Plaza, where speakers and musicians will lead in prayer and presentation.

 

Speakers (in alphabetical order) include:

  • Kathy Allen, Black Advocates for Life
  • Rev. Jonathan Beck, First United Methodist Church
  • Vickie Brumley, Executive Director, Ark-La-Tex Crisis Pregnancy Center
  • Jodi Burns, Executive Director, Heart of Hope
  • Chris Davis, Coordinator, 40 Days for Life
  • Bishop Michael Duca, Catholic Diocese of Shreveport
  • Pastor Denny Duron, Shreveport Community Church
  • Pastor John Fream, Cypress Baptist Church
  • Mike Johnson, Legal Counsel, Louisiana Right to Life
  • Dr. Brad Jurkovich, First Baptist Bossier
  • Barry LeBlanc, Board President, Ark-La-Tex Crisis Pregnancy Center
  • Pastor James McMenis, Word of God Ministries
  • Dr. Chuck Pourciau, Broadmoor Baptist Church
  • Rachael Wells, Shreveport-Bossier Prayers for Life
Music will be provided by the Cypress Baptist Worship Team, and the procession will be led by the Knights of Columbus and the Christian Motorcycle Association.
 
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FLYER

The LLM South is changing locations to LSU for just this year due to construction at the state Capitol and to partner with "The Response Louisiana," a large prayer gathering to be held at LSU on January 24, the same day as the LLM South.  

The program for the LLM South rally has not been finalized, but activities connected with Life March South will begin at the outdoor LSU Greek Theatre located on Dalrymple Drive. The Life Ministry Mobilization area opens at 9:30 AM, the rally will begin at 10 AM, and at 11 AM the march will begin, concluding at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Participants will then march into the Maravich Center, and Life March South will merge with "The Response Louisiana" to begin a time of prayer for life.

 

If you would like to request materials for your group, please contact our office at 1.866.463.5433 or info@prolifelouisiana.org to schedule a pickup time or to give us your mailing address so we can ship supplies to you.  

 

We have posters and flyers available!  

Upcoming Events

Jan. 8, 2015: New Orleans Proudly Pro-Life Dinner 

Jan. 17, 2015: Life March Shreveport 

Jan. 21: Geaux Forth Youth Rally, Washington DC  

Jan. 24: Life March Baton Rouge

June 28 - July 2: Joshua Leadership Institute 

July 9-11, 2015: Nat'l Right to Life Convention, NOLA  

NRL CONVENTION IN JULY!


Visit the LA Right to Life Store!
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Louisiana Right to Life | Lighting the Way to a Pro-Life Louisiana Since 1970
www.ProLifeLouisiana.org | 1.866.463.5433 | info@prolifelouisiana.org

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