For Immediate Release: November 3, 2020
Media Contacts: press@prochoice.org; 202-918-7768
Statement of The Very Reverend Katherine Ragsdale, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), on the passage of Amendment 1 in Louisiana:
Tonight, Louisiana set up one part of a chain reaction designed by anti-abortion politicians who want to ban abortion in Louisiana if federal abortion rights are dismantled. Amendment 1 would let the state ban abortion completely if Roe v. Wade is weakened or overturned, and it will harm Louisianans.
It is already difficult for many patients to access abortion care in Louisiana. The state has enacted 89 abortion restrictions since 1973, which is more restrictions than any other state in the country. And these restrictions most hurt the people who already face barriers to getting good care: people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, people with low incomes, and young people. Access to abortion should not depend on who you are, where you live, or how much money you make, yet that is too often the reality in Louisiana. We talk to patients in Louisiana every week who are struggling to afford and access abortion care.
Still, our member clinics will open their doors tomorrow to fight for their patients and help people in Louisiana access the abortion care they need.
# # #