NEW ORLEANS —
“They have gotten, up, walked out, cut us short and so we decided, not today.”
Using corn syrup as blood and some glitter, activists spoke passionately in Baton Rouge Wednesday, urging lawmakers to think twice about banning abortion.
“We chanted that it is our body, our choice, our voice will not be denied,” Lakeesha Harris said.
Those chants landed the women in handcuffs.
As a reproductive Justice and Health Director at Women with a Vision in New Orleans, Lakeesha Harris has been fighting for women’s rights and empowerment. Eyewitness News spoke with her moments after she was released from custody.
“These essentially are wealthy members of our community, implementing laws, Senators who have access to health care while we at the bottom don’t have that access,” Harris said.
Louisiana is the next state trying to pass laws that will ban abortion within a few weeks of pregnancy. Already, many states across the south have succeeded.
“Every human life is valuable in God's eyes,” Senator John Milkovich said.
Senator Milkovich, D-Keithville, sponsored Senate Bill.
The bill passed a house committee and is making its way to the house floor. While Milkovich respects everyone’s right to protest, he disagrees with Harris’s message.
“What is their point? To be killing babies! That babies have no rights?” Sen. Milkovich said.
Eyewitness News asked Sen. Milkovich about the argument that the bill would take away women’s rights and also hurts women who are victims of rape.
"It does not make sense to say that because a perpetrator committed a sexual offense, which is horrible. But it does not make sense because someone commits a crime, that the baby should be punished by having its life terminated,” Sen. Milkovich said. "I do not believe anyone has a right to kill innocent human life. And that’s what’s wrong with America. That’s what’s wrong in the world.”
If the bill passes, it moves on to the Senate for final passage before going to Governor John Bel Edwards desk.
Edwards, a pro-life Democrat running for re-election, has publicly supported the bill.