BATON ROUGE, LA – Voters overwhelmingly approved Louisiana Amendment 1 which adds language to the Louisiana Declaration of Rights that says that “nothing in the state’s constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.” 

Amendment 1, known as the “Love Life Amendment,” passed with 64 percent of the vote. This was the first time Louisiana voters had the opportunity to vote directly on the issue of abortion in any context. This constitutional amendment will prevent courts from finding a “right to abortion,” or to public abortion funding, in the state’s constitution. 

If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision, this amendment would ensure against any court ruling that language in the Louisiana constitution grants abortion rights. 

State Senator Katrina Jackson, a pro-life Democrat, authored the amendment when she was a state representative, along with dozens of co-sponsors from both parties. 

Jackson said, “It’s important to understand that Amendment 1 is not a ban on abortion. It simply keeps abortion policy in the hands of our legislators rather than state judges. Our body of pro-life laws ensure that women are empowered with the truth about their pregnancy prior to an abortion, that minors seeking an abortion have parental consent, and that babies born alive following a botched abortion receive immediate medical care.” 

Alabama and West Virginia have similar constitutional amendments also by direct ballot initiatives that explicitly established no right to abortion. Tennessee’s constitution also establishes no right to abortion in the state.