A May 2024 poll by the Times-Picayune/The Advocate suggests that Louisiana might be oscillating in its historically staunch pro-life position.  

The poll found that 54% of citizens support abortion being legal during at least the first trimester of pregnancy. This included 35% of Republicans, 71% of Democrats, 47% of white voters and 68% of Black voters.  

In March, Louisiana legislators voted to not let citizens decide if abortion rights should be enshrined in the state constitution.  

New Orleans state Rep. Aimee Freeman’s bill to allow the citizenry to vote on a pro-choice amendment was voted down.   

“In this state, there is no referendum. In Florida, they get signatures to put something on the ballot. In order to get something on the ballot in this state, I have to file a bill, have 2 hearings, at least, on the House side, pass it off the House floor, have 2 hearings on the Senate side, and pass it off the Senate floor,” Freeman said. 

The bill was always an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled legislature, a battle Freeman lost. Rep. John Wyble killed the bill with a motion to involuntarily defer it in the committee. “I received 719 emails in opposition to this, not one in support. I think this issue has been debated, and I think we know where Louisiana falls on it,” he said. 

Freeman disagrees. “I think as long as you have the current elected body in [the legislature], it’s not going to change. But the will of the people is often different from the elected officials. Unfortunately, not enough people vote,” she said. “This body could take decades to change. If you had a body of people that were more reasonable about the conversation, things could change.”  

Ever since the U.S Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June 2022, states with Republican majorities wrote laws banning abortion and criminalizing the doctors performing and mothers seeking abortions.  

“As a pro-life club, we are mostly on an activist platform,” Emma Gudmunson, president of the Tulane Right to Life club, said. “We are non-politically, non-religiously affiliated, and we want students to bring their concerns and map out an idea of what can we do to get around this issue.”  

“I think since Louisianians aren’t receptive to abortion, it would be difficult for the Democrats to push those policies,” Gudmunson said. 

“There is growing evidence to suggest that a majority of Louisiana voters don’t support our current laws on abortion,” Clare Daniel, director of research at the Newcomb Institute, said. “Unlike other states where ballot initiatives on abortion have successfully overturned state bans, Louisiana requires a legislative majority to approve a ballot initiative, which arguably creates a barrier to democratic decision-making in our state.”  

“[The 2024 election] will be fighting for the swing vote. I think with abortion legislation not being able to pass, and with Roe v. Wade being overturned, it will raise the question of, will the swing vote be supportive of anti-abortion laws?… It’s kind of hard to tell at this point, but I do think it’s something to keep an eye on,” Gudmunson said. “[President Biden] doesn’t comment on abortion specifically but women’s reproductive rights. You’d think with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the administration would directly talk about abortion, but it seems he is being pretty broad in his definition of women’s reproductive health.”