“When the Casey (ruling) came out, there had been pressure on the court through a whole number of cases pressing the boundaries and pressing the rationale of Roe from a constitutional standpoint, which had been criticized,” Murrill said.
She said from the time the Supreme Court adopted this “balancing test” in its decision on Casey, there has been much litigation in the federal court.
She said similar litigation was ongoing up to 2016 regarding Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. The case centered around a bill passed by the Texas legislature concerning abortion privileges, the most notable that abortionists be required to have admitting privileges within 30 miles of where the abortion will be performed. The question arising from this case was whether a state’s “substantial burden” analysis takes into account laws that restrict access to abortion services serve the state’s interest in promoting health.
The Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the Texas law and Louisiana subsequently passed laws with similar restrictions that were also legally challenged and ruled unconstitutional.
With litigations being filed across the nation, there was a recognition that abortion industries were funding litigations against all restrictions, including the state’s rights to regulate licensing of abortion clinics, according to Murrill.
The current case before the Supreme Court, Dobbs vs. Jackson, challenges a Mississippi law protecting babies after 15 weeks. Louisiana passed a similar law in 2018. The Supreme Court can uphold the law and allow abortions after 15 weeks or overturn Roe v. Wade all together and return the decision to the states to regulate their own abortion laws, she said.
Louisiana is prepared for a post-Roe Louisiana, according to LRTL. In 2006, the Louisiana Legislature passed the Human Life Protection Act, which restored the right of Louisiana to prohibit abortions.
Panelist Ben Clapper, director of LRTL, said much effort has focused on gaining the support of legislators and assuring the language of the law rebuffs any anticipated challenges.
After the opening session attention then turned to helping support the life of the unborn, the first being affirming help for women in need and filling the gaps.
Panelist Angie Thomas, associate director LRTL, said it is critical to meet a woman at her moment of crisis.
“Times of crisis are never a time to make a decision. We want to work with them in that crisis,” said Thomas. The former CEO of Woman’s New Life Clinic in New Orleans and Baton Rouge added that WNLC provides counseling and other services to help women on their journey to motherhood and beyond.
Panelist Tracy Keller, a member of St. Joseph Church in Paulina and a representative of Embrace Grace, which serves single moms in crisis pregnancy situations, talked about the importance of churches taking an inventory of resources they can call upon to provide for moms in crisis. Embrace Grace has provided food, monetary assistance and other necessities to one mother who had three children but Keller said the best support they provided was not necessarily material.
“She just needed to be heard,” said Keller, who urged people to become involved in helping pregnant women in need. “We have to come together. We can’t say ‘Someone else will do it.’ ”
A panel discussion followed debunking misconceptions about adoption and foster care. The panelists included Paula Davis, director of Adoption and Maternity Services of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
Davis said CCDBR dialogues with the mother about making an adoption plan. The mother has control of the type of adoption plan she would prefer: open, semi-open or closed and chooses the birth family she would like to adopt the child. Trained counselors also accompany the mothers beyond the pregnancy.
The panel agreed more positive stories need to be shared to demonstrate the existence of healthy foster care situations. Davis noted that many of the kids who have been in foster care have been through trauma and need healing through relationships.
A crucial post Roe element will also be healing trauma and education for the Gen Z generation.
A strong consensus of the panel was that Gen Z generation members have grown up misguided by the idea the resulting baby from a conception is “only a clump of cells.” As result they have no sense of self-worth because they were essentially “a clump of cells.”
This is evidenced from the high rate of suicide among their generation. And if they think they don’t matter, the life they carry within them does not matter, panelists said.
The final panel discussion highlighted the importance of being vigilant about the promotion of mail order abortion at-home pills.
Dr. Rob Chasuk, a medical doctor who is qualified in NaProTechnology, a woman’s fertility and health science, explained the medical complications, up to death, of the abortion pills and the danger of women taking these pills at home without supervision.
Thomas also talked about how the FDA has lifted many of the serious restrictions on these drugs and how these pills can be illegally sold to minors.
A recurring theme throughout the summit was how a successful entry into a post-Roe Louisiana requires church involvement.
Randall Waguespack, director of the Office of Peace, Life and Justice for the diocese, noted at the prayer breakfast that according to 2014 statistics provided by abortion providers, 62% of the women who chose abortion claim to have a religious affiliation, with 24% identifying themselves as Catholic.
“We should ask ourselves why these women don’t think of turning to their church for support instead of choosing abortion, ” he said.