Louisiana

Louisiana woman criticizes AG Murrill over comments about her abortion story • Louisiana Illuminator

Published

3 months ago

August 25, 2024

Louisiana woman criticizes AG Murrill over comments about her abortion story • Louisiana Illuminator

A Louisiana woman who spoke at the Democratic National Convention about being denied miscarriage care in the wake of Louisiana’s abortion ban is criticizing Attorney General Liz Murrill and anti-abortion leaders for their reactions to her speech.

Kaitlyn Joshua was about 11 weeks pregnant when she started miscarrying in the fall of 2022, just a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and triggered Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban. Joshua sought care at two separate hospitals — Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge and Baton Rouge General in Prairieville — and was turned away from both without treatment.

WWNO, NPR and KFF Health News first reported Joshua’s story in 2022. She has been sharing it routinely in the lead-up to the election in events across the country and on national television as she campaigns to elect a Democratic president to the White House. But her speech Monday night was the most high-profile and spawned a series of headlines in Louisiana and across the country.

After Joshua’s speech, Murrill posted on X that “Democrats have their facts wrong.”

“There is nothing in our bipartisan law that prohibits emergency care for someone having a miscarriage or any emergency situation during pregnancy. Nothing. Hard stop,” Murrill posted.

Murrill: ‘Democrats have their facts wrong’ on abortion ban exceptions

“In fact, doctors are legally required to care for a pregnant woman who suffers an emergent health crisis, whether that’s appendicitis or a miscarriage,” she continued.

News reports quote Murrill’s original post, which appears to have been edited, as stating that the law “was passed under Governor John Bel Edwards’ term.”

“It is so damaging, the fact that the Republican Party cannot own the fact that the reason why we’re in the predicament that we’re in as it relates to reproductive rights in Louisiana is 100% their fault,” Joshua told WWNO/WRKF in an interview.

“It is typical Republican behavior for them to denounce any possibility of having any accountability for their actions,” Joshua added, “them not wanting to look it in the face and see what it really looks like, what impact looks like when you pass laws that are harmful, especially what it looks like through the lens of Black maternal health.”

Women in Louisiana face some of the highest rates of maternal death and morbidity in the nation and Black women in the state are more than twice as likely to die as a result of their pregnancy as white women. One study from The Commonwealth Fund found that states with abortion restrictions are more likely to have fewer maternal health services and higher rates of deaths and morbidity. Research released earlier this year from Tulane University found that abortion restrictions are associated with an increased risk of maternal death.

Under Louisiana’s ban, doctors face up to 15 years in prison and $200,000 in fines for violating the law. It requires doctors to provide a diagnosis in a woman’s medical records along with proof from an ultrasound that a pregnancy “has ended or is in the unavoidable and untreatable process of ending due to spontaneous miscarriage.” Doctors have said that’s a high legal bar of proof that can make it difficult to act swiftly to treat miscarriages. In some miscarriage cases, a fetus can still have a faint heartbeat, which is what happened the first time Joshua sought care.

Earlier this year, a detailed report found multiple cases of women being turned away from hospitals while miscarrying. One doctor reported that hospital officials stopped a woman’s abortion while they debated whether her treatment was legal under Louisiana’s ban. The report found other dangerous changes to pregnancy care in Louisiana, including physicians giving women unnecessary and invasive C-sections to avoid even the appearance of providing an abortion.

Republican lawmakers killed bills in the last two legislative sessions that were aimed at easing the burdens and threats contained in the law for health care providers, including requiring solely a doctor’s diagnosis that a pregnancy is ending before providing care.

Who’s Kaitlyn Joshua, the Louisiana woman who spoke at the Democratic National Convention?

Lawmakers also rejected bills to add rape and incest exceptions to the law.

Joshua told WWNO/WRKF that the “logical thing” to do after two years of impacts on pregnancy care and maternal health would be to make changes to the law.

“You guys were very proud of the work that you did in 2022 to obliterate our rights around reproductive health care in our state,” Joshua said, referring to Republicans, including Murrill.

“And now you’re seeing it play out in real time, and it’s looking you in the face, and instead of you taking accountability for it, you want to kind of put it on someone else, like John Bel [Edwards].”

Louisiana’s ban was authored by Democratic lawmaker Katrina Jackson, passed by a Republican majority in the legislature, and signed by Edwards.

Before being elected attorney general, Murrill was Louisiana’s solicitor general, during which time she helped defend Louisiana’s abortion ban. She worked under then-Attorney General, now Gov. Jeff Landry. When state courts briefly halted Louisiana’s abortion ban in the summer of 2022, Landry threatened doctors with prosecution if they provided abortion care.

Louisiana Right to Life also released a statement Wednesday defending the state’s abortion ban and calling Joshua’s story an example of “gross misinterpretation” of the law by health care providers.

Communications director Sarah Zagorski said the responsibility for Joshua’s care lies with hospitals that misinterpreted the law, and that the law clearly allows for miscarriage treatment.

“Unfortunately, the DNC is utilizing a tragic story to elicit confusion and disapproval for pro-life laws,” Zagorski said in a statement. “They are not concealing their agenda, but proudly providing abortions at their own convention.”

Louisiana Right to Life also released statements from a New Orleans OBGYN who said she continues to treat miscarriages, and Tara Wicker, the director of Louisiana Black Advocates for Life.

“There is no denying Kaitlyn Joshua experienced inadequate healthcare in the community I love dearly. I also acknowledge there are systemic problems in our health system, which especially impacts women of color,” Wicker said. “However, these problems are not alleviated or solved by legal abortion.”

Joshua pushed back on Zagorski’s claim that the law clearly allows for miscarriage treatment and asked what relevance comments from a New Orleans OBGYN bore to her case.

In an Instagram post, Joshua said it was “alarming” to see Murrill comment on her case nearly two years after she first began telling her story.

“If Liz wanted to highlight the Black maternal health care crisis that we see in the state of Louisiana, she could have done that, but instead, she chose to use her power and her voice to obliterate someone’s story,” Joshua said.

Joshua said that she wanted people to know “what’s happening in our state of Louisiana, where women speak out and then they are pressured or threatened or get messages from an attorney general.”

She added that Murrill had not reached out to her personally, but said she would be “happy” to talk to Murrill about her experience “and we don’t need to hide behind social media or public statements.”

Murrill’s comments on X that “doctors are legally required to care for a pregnant woman who suffers an emergent health crisis” appears to refer to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, known as EMTALA, which requires hospitals that received Medicare or Medicaid funding to provide stabilizing treatment for all patients.

But her office has argued that EMTALA should not require emergency treatment for pregnant women if that treatment is banned by state law.

In 2022, the Biden administration sued Idaho in the wake of that state’s abortion ban — amid stories of women routinely being flown out of state to get care because of the ban. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allowed emergency abortions in Idaho.

Idaho had argued that state law takes precedence over EMTALA, meaning that the federal requirement for emergency medical treatment should not be extended to pregnancies in states with abortion bans. It also argued that a fertilized egg qualifies as a patient.

Murrill, as Louisiana’s attorney general, signed an amicus brief to the US Supreme Court along with 21 other states siding with Idaho and arguing that “EMTALA cannot be read to preempt state laws regulating medicine, including abortion restrictions.”

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Louisiana

Obituary for Liz Marie Cole at Kinchen Funeral Home, Inc.

Published

41 mins ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Obituary for Liz Marie Cole at Kinchen Funeral Home, Inc.

Liz Marie Cole February 3, 1969 – November 25, 2024 Scott Liz Cole passed away on November 25, 2024. She was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, on February 3, 1969, to Donald Cole and Jenelle Broussard Cole of Scott, Louisiana. Liz is survived by her mother, Jenelle Cole Michael Cluse her

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Top 25 Louisiana High School Football Rankings (11/27/2024)

Published

8 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Top 25 Louisiana High School Football Rankings (11/27/2024)

Here is a look at the Top 25 Louisiana High School Football Rankings heading into the quarterfinal round of the LHSAA football playoffs:

Playoff Seed: No. 1 (Division I select) Up next: Against No. 8 St. Thomas More (8-3)

The Cougars defeated No. 17 Huntington, 56-6. LSU receiver commit TaRon Francis had six catches for 175 yards and two scores, according to Andrew Valenti of The New Orleans Advocate. Junior quarterback John Johnson passed for 324 yards. Daejawn Smith and Oliver Mitchell each caught a TD pass. The Cougars’ defense and special teams each tacked on a TD.

Power Rating: No. 2 (Division I select) Up next: Against No. 10 C.E Byrd (9-3)

The Trojans defeated No. 18 Evangel Christian, 49-6. LSU running back commit J.T. Lindsey rushed for 220 yards and four TDs, according to John Marcase of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate. The Trojans held Evangel to negative rushing yards and intercepted quarterback Peyton Houston three times.

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division I nonselect) Up next: Against No. 24 Chalmette (9-3)

The Tigers defeated No. 16 Covington, 44-13. UL Ragin’ Cajuns commit Cam Riley had multiple interceptions, according to Jake Martin of The Ouachita Citizen. Jaylon Nichols (15 carries, 109 yards) scored three touchdowns. Sophomore QB Parker Robinson was 14 for 14 passing.

Playoff seed: No. 3 (Division I nonselect) Up next: Against No. 6 Southside (9-2)

The Bearcats defeated No. 14 Zachary, 42-21. Jordan Hayes ran for two touchdowns – one from 70 yards – and caught a TD pass from Tulane QB commit Joshua Brantley, who also ran for a score, according to T. Scott Boatright of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Brantley threw a TD pass to Darius James. It was the third straight year the teams met in the postseason with Ruston winning all three.

Playoff seed: No. 4 (Division I select) Up next: Against No. 5 Archbishop Rummel (9-2)

The Bears defeated No. 13 East Jefferson, 42-0. Rylan Parker ran for 105 yards and two TDs, according to Terry Robinson of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Jayden Miles added a rushing score. Baylor Graves threw a 66-yard TD pass to Amari Clayton as Catholic scored all of its points in the first half.

Playoff seed: No. 2 (Division I nonselect) Up next: Against No. 10 Destrehan (9-3)

The Vikings defeated No. 18 Westgate, 42-16. QB Ben Taylor ran for a score and passed for two, and DJ Allen ran for two TDs, according to Roy Lang of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate. LSU commit Kenny Darby caught eight passes for 135 yards and a TD. Senior receiver Jarvis Davis left the game with an injury.

Playoff seed: No. 4 (Division I nonselect) Up next: Against No. 21 West Monroe (7-5)

The Wildcats defeated No. 13 West Ouachita, 45-20. Nicholls State QB commit Jackson Firmin ran for a score, and sophomore Marvin Joseph ran for another, according to William Weathers of Geaux Preps. The Central defense forced three turnovers. Joseph finished with 117 yards on 13 carries. Linebacker KD Mays returned a fumble for a TD.

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division II select) Up next: Against No. 8 John F. Kennedy (7-4)

The Eagles defeated No. 16 Loranger, 49-14. Michigan commit Jasper Parker ran for 109 yards on 12 carries with four TDs, according to Darrell Williams of The New Orleans Advocate. Mason Wilson threw a 54-yard TD pass to Jacob Washington (also a Michigan pledge). Shaw’s opponent this week, John F. Kennedy, only lost one game on the field (to St. Paul’s).

Playoff seed: No. 8 (Division I select) Up next: At No. 1 Edna Karr (10-0)

The Cougars defeated No. 9 St. Augustine, 28-27. Senior defensive back Gavin Duplechin blocked an extra point to seal the win, according to Eric Narcisse of The Acadiana Advocate. Quarterback Cole Bergeron completed 8 of 14 passes for 104 yards and two TDs to John Avery Barton (four catches for 72 yards). Gabe Mocek and Carter Melancon combined to carry 39 times for 214 yards. Mocek ran for two scores.

Playoff seed: No. 6 (Division I select) Up next: Against No. 19 John Curtis Christian (6-5)

The Rebels defeated No. 11 Jesuit, 31-23. Junior QB Alex Munoz completed 14 of 15 passes for 169 yards with a TD to tight end Jack Purser. Munoz is 84 of 120 on the year with 1,272 yards and 13 TDs with no interceptions. Doug E Viltz rushed for 82 yards on 24 carries with two TDs. Nick Celestine caught three passes for 36 yards, according to Kevin Foote of The Acadiana Advocate. Munoz, Viltz and Cason Evans have combined for over 2,000 yards rushing.

Playoff seed: No. 5 (Division I select) Up next: At No. 4 Catholic-BR (10-0)

The Raiders defeated No. 12 McDonogh 35, 50-25. Norman Taylor ran for 177 yards on 17 carries with four TDs, according to Chris Dabe of The New Orleans Advocate. The Raiders will face Catholic-BR in the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons. QB Generald Buggage was 7 of 9 passing for 132 yards with a rushing touchdown.

Playoff seed: No. 19 (Division I select) Up next: At No. 6 Teurlings Catholic (10-1)

The Patriots defeated No. 3 Acadiana, 28-27. QB Reggie Johnson threw the game-winning TD pass to freshman Jarvis Stevenson, according to Nick Fontenot of The Acadiana Advocate. The Patriots totaled 363 yards rushing and averaged 13 yards per carry, according to Chris Dabe of The New Orleans Advocate. Johnson ran for 169 yards on 10 carries with two scores. Jacobi Boudreaux added 138 yards on eight carries.

Playoff seed: No. 3 (Division I select) Up next: Season complete

The Rams lost to No. 19 John Curtis, 28-27. Jonah Gauthier ran for 164 yards on 27 carries with three TDs. Tayden Collins added 103 yards on 12 carries. Caden DiBetta ran for a score. Gauthier and Collins combined to score 24 rushing TDs on the year.

Playoff seed: No. 6 (Division I nonselect) Up next: At No. 3 Ruston (9-2)

The Sharks defeated No. 22 Walker, 47-0. The Sharks notched 18 first downs to Walker’s six. Ramon Singleton ran for 136 yards and two TDs on 15 carries. Justin Williams added 84 yards on 16 carries with two scores. Singleton added two catches for 31 yards and a score. QB Parker Dies threw for a TD and ran for another. Dies, Singleton and QB Cruz Holden combined to complete 4 of 5 passes for 82 yards and a score.

Playoff seed: No. 10 (Division I nonselect) Up next: At No. 2 Airline (11-0)

The Wildcats defeated No. 7 Northwood-Shreveport, 63-21. Malachi Dabney scored five TDs, according to Lori Lyons of The Shreveport Bossier Journal. Jabari Mack and Greg Wilfred each caught a TD pass, and LSU receiver commit Phillip Wright ran for a score. The Wildcats have won seven straight games with QB Jackson Fields back in the lineup. Destrehan will be making back-to-back trips to the Shreveport-Bossier area.

Playoff seed: No. 14 (Division II nonselect) Up next: At No. 6 Plaquemine (11-1)

The Tigers defeated No. 3 Jennings, 30-19. Senior tailback D’Shaun Ford ran for 265 yards and two TDs. The Tigers’ losses were to Teurlings Catholic, Alexandria and Zachary. Opelousas led the undefeated Trojans by two scores early.

Playoff seed: No. 18 (Division II nonselect) Up next: At No. 7 North DeSoto (9-3)

The Bulldogs defeated No. 2 Lutfcher, 49-41. Diesel Solari completed 13 of 21 passes for 206 yards and three TDs. Braylon Calais ran for 113 yards on 15 carries with two TDs. Solari added 96 yards rushing and two TDs on 15 carries. Ellis Stewart totaled 104 yards and a TD on six touches. Brent Gordon and Jermaine Davis combined to catch five passes for 102 yards and two TDs.

Playoff seed: No. 5 (Division III select) Up next: at No. 4 Jewel Sumner (10-1)

The Panthers defeated No. 12 Amite, 39-14. QB Dillon Compton threw three first-half TD passes for Cain Milligan, according to Fast Break ENT. Compton was 10 of 15 passing for 195 yards and four TDs, according to LaMar Gafford of Cenla Preps. He also ran for a score. Zion Lee rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries. Jateren Gaines added 92 yards on 12 carries with two TDs.

Playoff seed: No. 10 (Division I select) Up next: At No. 2 Alexandria (11-0)

The Yellow Jackets defeated No. 7 St. Paul’s, 37-15. Desmond Simmons ran for 167 yards on 30 carries with a TD, according to Joseph Halm of The New Orleans Advocate. QB Harrison Ayres completed 5 of 6 passes for 82 yards and added 30 yards rushing and two scores on eight carries.

Playoff seed: No. 21 (Division I nonselect) Up next: At No. 4 Central-BR (10-1)

The Rebels pulled off their second upset by defeating No. 5 Mandeville, 20-9. Ranaldrick Myles and Kedrian McNeal combined for 209 yards rushing on 28 carries with two TDs, according to Dave Woodall of The New Orleans Advocate. QB Ryder Dejean completed 3 of 6 passes for 37 yards.

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division III select) Up next: Against No. 9 Lafayette Christian (6-6)

The Tigers defeated No. 16 Parkview Baptist, 42-0. Sophomore QB Elijah Haven accounted for 406 yards and four TDs, according to Patrick Wright of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Trevor Haman caught seven passes for 128 yards and two TDs.

Playoff seed: No. 7 (Division II nonselect) Up next: Against No. 18 Cecilia (9-3)

The Griffins defeated No. 10 Belle Chasse, 38-14. Cole Cory continued to shine since his return from injury, catching two TD passes and returning a kick 56 yards, according to Lee Hiller of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate. Luke Delafield was 15 of 20 passing for 205 yards. Kenny Thomas ran for 107 yards on 23 carries with two TDs. Cory finished with seven receptions for 114 yards.

Playoff seed: No. 5 (Division II select) Up next: Against No. 13 Istrouma (9-3)

The Chargers defeated No. 12 St. Charles Catholic, 34-20. Tylan Johnson was 10 of 13 passing for 125 yards and two TDs, according to Charles Salzer of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Alfred McKnight ran for 180 yards and two TDs. Madison Prep, which led 21-0 at halftime, takes on Istrouma in a matchup of north Baton Rouge schools whose campuses are separated by 2.1 miles.

Playoff seed: No. 2 (Division II nonselect) Up next: Season complete

The Bulldogs lost to No. 18 Cecilia, 49-41. Trenton Chaney ran for 194 yards and three TDs on 24 carries, according to Reed Darcey of The Baton Rouge Advocate. QB Zach Jenkins rushed for 118 yards on 25 carries with three TDs. He passed for 75 yards and didn’t throw an interception this season.

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division IV select) Up next: Against No. 8 St. Edmund (10-1)

The Eagles defeated No. 16 Westminster Christian-Opelousas, 47-17. QB Jonathan Dartez ran for 199 yards and had a hand in six TDs. The senior has rushed for 2,119 yards and 34 TDs on 239 carries with 1,360 yards passing (19 TDs, two INT).

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Heart of Louisiana: Saving boats

Published

16 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

LOCKPORT, La. (WVUE) – A museum in downtown Lockport was bustling with activity 12 years ago, with people teaching and learning the art of boat-building.

Historic boats were on display in the front, and new boats were being built in the workshop out back, as generations of Cajun families passed down their traditions and knowledge. But then, three years ago, it all was put on hold when Hurricane Ida severely damaged the museum.

Now, efforts are underway to relocate and relaunch the boat museum and workshop at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, as Dave McNamara shows in the Heart of Louisiana.

For more, visit the Heart of Louisiana archive here.

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