Some Louisiana lawmakers shook up the establishment this week, and there really isn’t a more encouraging sign. This isn’t about the law itself but rather their willingness to go against their party’s national stance and not back down when criticized.
In a time when politicians like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., say they’re going to keep a list of party members who vote conservative to get them out of office because they didn’t stick to the party line, it’s a breath of fresh air to see politicians in places of power go against the grain.
On Wednesday the Louisiana legislature passed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, similar to the ones recently passed throughout the South and Midwest, and the pelican state’s Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, plans to sign it.
“I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for it to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
The governor said his views on abortion stem from his Catholic upbringing during a radio show in October 2018, and it’s reassuring to see there are still some people who aren’t afraid to step into the ring against their own party.
“That’s the way I was raised,” he said. “I know that for many in the national party, on the national scene, that’s not a good fit. But I will tell you, here in Louisiana, I speak and meet with Democrats who are pro-life every single day.”
National Democrats have strongly opposed the bills popping up all over the country, and there have been abortion protests spreading just as quickly. It’s inevitable the Roe v. Wade 1973 Supreme Court decision will be revisited in due time, which is sure to grip the nation’s attention. What should be gaining the country’s notice, though, is the Democratic politicians in the state I grew up in standing up for what they believe in, regardless of what fellow party members say.
State Rep. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, who is among the sponsors of the bill, told The Washington Post that she supports the ban, and she could care less what other party members think. “I don’t believe in being a cookie-cutter legislator, which means, you say, ‘Oh, what’s the party doing?’ When you have a sincerely held belief, you stand for that belief,” she said. “That doesn’t mean you abandon your party. That doesn’t mean that you abandon anyone. That means that you understand that a one-size-fits-all approach to legislature doesn’t work.”
Amen. I wrote in March that I believe it’s time to do away with political parties altogether and have politicians run solely on their own personal beliefs without the all-encompassing R or D next to their name that typically dictates where they align themselves on hot-button topics. But as Edwards and Jackson proved, there are still politicians, particularly those with a Christian upbringing, that will not lay down and get steamrolled by the national narrative.
These bans likely won’t become law as judges are forced to temporarily block them because of the 1973 precedent established. But the day will eventually come when that Roe v. Wade decision is brought before the Supreme Court.
Having Democratic lawmakers being outspoken against their own party on the divisive issue will, at minimum, spark more conversation. And it’s not just about the anti-abortion laws. Maybe, just maybe, politicians will begin to do what our entire foundation was supposed to be built upon. Maybe they will start debating with an open mind and really examine all the factors in play with other issues and come to more bipartisan agreements. They all say publicly they want bipartisan agreements, but until they are willing to open their minds behind closed doors situations such as the Louisiana bill will continue to be anomalies.
Joshua Campbell is sports editor of The Columbian-Progress. Reach him at (601) 736-2611 or joshuacampbell@columbianprogress.com.
