In a great leap for progress towards real respect for human rights, Louisiana passed an amendment to their state constitution to protect every human life, should Roe v. Wade be overturned.

The amendment, as posed to voters on the ballot, ran thus: "Do you support an amendment declaring that, to protect human life, a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution?" It passed with an enthusiastic 68% approval, and follows a list of other states (Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia)that have let their citizens proclaim their pro-life principles loud and clear at the ballot box, a right Roe v. Wade -- and a pro-abortion, activist Supreme Court -- denied voters in 1973.

Our media and even our own local and personal dialogues often focus on the national drama. While by no means unimportant, the presidential election is only a fraction of the function of United States government. Especially should Roe v. Wade be overturned, the reality and power of local elections, state amendments, and continued compassionate outreach both culturally and politically will be the key to making abortion illegal and unthinkable.

In Massachusetts, where American citizens have blazed the trail in the past in the fight for equal protection for any and every human life, we commit to seeing our constitution similarly reflect the reality that abortion takes a human life, and we have an obligation to promote laws that reject it, and protect them.