By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief
Less than half of our state’s registered voters cast ballots in the May 16 elections. And if history is an indicator, we’ll see fewer people show up for the June runoffs. Why does Louisiana struggle so much with voter turnout? We explore that question in this week’s episode of “The Light Switch.” Listen here.
Wes Muller/LAI
By Illuminator staff
The Louisiana Legislature’s three-month lawmaking session started with little excitement as Gov. Jeff Landry had no clear agenda. Some early fights made the headlines, and sparks really began to fly after the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Louisiana v. Callais in April. Following the decision, the final weeks of session were marked by increased racial and partisan tension that bled into nearly every other issue. Here’s who won and who lost in the fray.
Kaelah Oberdorf, 24, had a medication abortion in 2023 when she discovered she was pregnant while still recovering from the debilitating postpartum depression she had after giving birth to her daughter. Oberdorf said she was in an emotionally abusive relationship and didn’t want her daughter or herself to be tied to that partner for life. (Courtesy of Kaelah Oberdorf)
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris
Access to telehealth prescriptions of mifepristone, one of two drugs used to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester or to treat miscarriages, is threatened by an ongoing lawsuit in Louisiana. Researchers, advocates and survivors of domestic violence say it’s vital to keep telehealth access available for people in abusive relationships who need discreet abortion options. The Louisiana lawsuit, however, argues in part that mifepristone has been weaponized against pregnant women in abusive relationships and shouldn’t be available by telehealth.
Immigrant advocates have questioned the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office’s involvement in immigration enforcement following a joint checkpoint that led to multiple detainments, including that of a U.S. citizen. (Alena Maschke/The Current)
By Alena Maschke & Leslie Turk, The Current
In December, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office joined a growing list of agencies in the state that entered agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, empowering some of the agencies’ staff to fulfill federal immigration enforcement functions. The 287(g) program gives them the power to detain individuals based solely on suspected immigration infractions, even if they aren’t suspected of having committed a criminal offense.
By Tim Henderson
Vaccine hesitancy fed by misinformation is causing new surges of measles and whooping cough, while COVID-19 hotspots persist in some states and a new threat looms from an Ebola outbreak in central Africa.
NEWS FROM THE STATES
County to challenge book ban after ‘Roots’ removal | TN Lookout
AFL-CIO president aims to unionize 2M workers in 5 years | MN Reformer
COMMENTARY
Don’t forget who imposed chaos on elections | AL Reflector
Reclassifying marijuana is long overdue but not enough | IN Capital Chronicle
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