Health and Education
Our Policy Approach and Advocacy
There are a number of glaring disparities in the State of Louisiana’s approach to healthcare and education. Through our persistent advocacy efforts and engagement in the legislative process, Lift Louisiana strives to raise public consciousness about these disparities. We work to improve the quality and accessibility of information that empowers young people to postpone pregnancy, safeguard their well-being, and expand their prospects. We also actively collaborate with elected officials to improve conditions, especially in the area of reproductive healthcare.
What You Need to Know
53%
Of likely voters in Louisiana support amending the the state constitution to establish a right to an abortion
1/3
Of Louisiana’s 64 parishes are considered maternity care deserts, without a single obstetric provider.
4 OUT OF 5
Louisiana parents believe a sex education program should be taught in Louisiana schools that emphasizes abstinence and also includes information on birth control.
Policy Priorities
Restoring Abortion Access
We advocate for the restoration of accessible abortion services throughout Louisiana and the rest of the United States. Every individual must have the right to make autonomous decisions about their reproductive health, including the choice to terminate a pregnancy. To deny it, diminishes the pregnant person and, in some cases, forces them to carry an unwanted pregnancy.
Expanding Access to Birth Control
We support policies that provide expanded access to birth control in Louisiana. More than 300,000 Louisiana women live in contraceptive deserts , parishes where there isn’t reasonable access to a health center offering the full range of contraceptive methods, forcing these women to overcome significant barriers to get the birth control they need and deserve. This is particularly difficult for women and low income families, and recently there has been significant progress through the expansion of Medicaid coverage.
Improving Maternal Health Outcomes
Louisiana has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the nation, with Black women dying at 3 to 4 times the rate of white women. Lift advocates for policies aimed at addressing these racial disparities and expanding access to birthing facilities and maternity care providers, especially for people living on low to moderate incomes.
LGBTQ+ Healthcare
Lift affirms the right of all individuals to define and express their own gender identity. We advocate for comprehensive access to gender-affirming care as an essential component of promoting the health, well-being, and dignity of transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive individuals. Lift also opposes the criminalization of HIV.
Period Equity
We advocate for policies that improve access to period products such as tampons, pads and many other items. These products are necessities, not luxuries, and should be treated as such. We are committed to addressing the stigma around menstruation because not being able to afford or access these products should never impact someone's ability to work or go to school.
Comprehensive Sexual Education
Lift believes all public school students should have access within their school curriculums to accurate, age-appropriate information about sexuality and their sexual and reproductive health. Louisiana’s young people suffer from some of the nation’s highest sexually-transmitted infection (STI) rates, a high pregnancy and birth rate, and they have limited access to birth control. We advocate for comprehensive, inclusive sexual education that includes discussions about contraception, STIs, pregnancy prevention, and abortion, empowering young people to make informed decisions.
Legislative Victories
PASSED
Act 207 (2023) Increased Medicaid Reimbursement for Midwives
Act 207 increases the Medicaid reimbursement rate for midwifery services to at least ninety-five percent of the amount reimbursed to licensed physicians for the provision of the same health services in pregnancy and childbirth.
PASSED
Act 270 (2023) Insurance Coverage for Doulas
Act 270 requires that health coverage plans that provide benefits for maternity services include coverage doula services before, during, and after childbirth. The bill also prohibits terminology in any health coverage plan or contract deemed discriminatory against doulas.
PASSED
House Resolution (2023) Task Force to Study Criminalization of HIV
HR 130 creates a task force to study the public health outcomes related to the criminalization of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to report its findings to the Louisiana Legislature before the 2024 Session.
PASSED
Act 708 (2022) Extended Supply of Birth Control
Act 708 requires Medicaid to cover a six-month supply of contraceptive drugs dispensed at one time. This allows people to purchase an extended supply of birth control, reducing the burden of monthly trips to the pharmacy.
PASSED
Act 513 (2022) Emergency Contraception for Sexual Abuse Survivors
Act 513 requires all hospitals and healthcare providers to provide information about emergency contraception to sexual assault survivors and to provide Plan B to survivors upon request.
PASSED
Act 472 (2022) Public School Accommodations for Pregnant or Parenting Students
Act 472 requires public high schools to adopt policies that support pregnant or parenting students, including attendance policies that allow students to miss class for prenatal and postal medical appointments; child’s illness or medical appointments and legal appointments due to parenting. The law also requires schools to make accommodations for breastfeeding students.
PASSED
Act 449 (2021) Abolishes State Taxes on Period Products and Diapers
In 2019 and 2020, Lift worked with local governments in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport to repeal local sales taxes on period products and diapers. In 2021, we advocated for the passage of Act 449 to eliminate the state sales taxes on these products.
DEFEATED
HB 989 (2022) would have placed severe restrictions on young people under 18-years old seeking abortions without parental consent. The proposed requirements included legal representation for the fetus and/or the minor’s parents, clear and convincing evidence from the minor that they are mature enough to provide informed consent, and evaluation by a medical provider other than the abortion provider to evaluate medical risks of the abortion.
DEFEATED
HB 813 (2022) would have granted personhood rights to a fetus and classified abortion as homicide, meaning pregnant people could be charged with murder for terminating a pregnancy.
Latest Updates
