By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
Life is priceless and thousands of Louisianians are expected to turn out for one of three pro-life marches scheduled for later this month in Shreveport/Bossier City, Baton Rouge and Alexandria/Pineville to declare that fact.
The Baton Rouge and Shreveport/Bossier City marches are scheduled for Jan. 23 with a third, which was added just this year, taking place Jan. 30 in Alexandria/Pineville.
The Louisiana Life Marches are a chance for different denominations, ages and ethnic and racial backgrounds to march together and pray to declare their opposition to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in 1973.
The theme for this year’s marches is “Life Is Priceless.”
According to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, preliminary numbers for 2014 show 10,211 abortions took place, an average of 28 per day. The total represents an increase from the 9,976 abortions performed in 2013 and continues an upward trend from 9,225 in 2012 and 8,955 in 2011. Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper said that the recently released videos showing Planned Parenthood staff discussing the sale of body parts of babies, these marches remind the world that human lives are valuable and priceless.
“In Luke 12:6-7, Jesus reminds us that God even knows the number of hairs on our heads,” Clapper said. “We are thrilled to bring together the people of Louisiana, across denomination lines, to take a stand for the priceless value of human life at the Louisiana Life March events in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Alexandria.”
Several thousand pro-life supporters marched across the LSU campus for the 2015 Louisiana Life March. Gov. Bobby Jindal encouraged more than 3,500 people, who gathered at the LSU Greek Amphitheater, to keep fighting for the rights of the unborn.
Both marches on Jan. 23 are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and last until noon.
The march in Shreveport/Bossier City will start at the Boardwalk area in Bossier City, crossing over a bridge before ending in Shreveport’s Festival Plaza.
Further south, the Baton Rouge march will begin at the Old State Capitol building and end at the current State Capitol building.
The march on Jan. 30 will begin at 10 am at Louisiana College in Pineville and end at the amphitheater in downtown Alexandria at 12:30 p.m.
The Louisiana Life Marches will feature pro-life supporters from various denominations and organizations. LBC Executive Director David Hankins, LC President Rick Brewer, LBC President and First Baptist Haughton Pastor Gevan Spinney, Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge Director of Missions Tommy Middleton, First Baptist Pollock Pastor Brian Gunter, US Rep. John Fleming, First Baptist Minden Pastor Leland Crawford, First Baptist Bossier Pastor Brad Jurkovich, Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association Director of Missions Lane Moore and Freedom Guard founder and State Rep. Mike Johnson are among the Louisiana Baptists scheduled to speak at one of the marches.
Sponsors include the Louisiana Baptist Convention, Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, Louisiana Right to Life, Louisiana Family Forum, United Pentecostal Church of Louisiana, the Susan B. Anthony List, the Knights of Columbus, Baton Rouge Right to Life and Louisiana’s Concerned Women for America.
For more information on the Louisiana Life March, visit LALifeMarch.com or call 866-463-5433.
