LOUISIANA – After continuous debate, the U.S. Supreme court permitted the sale of pro-life license plates in Louisiana. On Dec. 2, the court rejected abortion-rights advocate appeals to halt the circulation of the contested plates. Since the decision, six other states- Alabama, Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina have approved similar plates.
In 1999, the Louisiana state law established a specialty plate with the words “Choose Life” and a depiction of a pelican holding a blanketed baby in its beak. The plate went on sale Nov.1, with an estimated 192 plates sold until 2000, when a federal judge blocked the state from issuing the plates. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision early 2002.
The "Choose Life" plate costs $61.50 for two years; $25 of the sale is allocated to organizations that offer abortion alternatives, such as adoption agencies and pregnancy centers.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision earlier this year, ruling the abortion-rights advocates seeking to bar the plates did not have standing to sue, The Times-Picayune reported.
By Pauline J.
pjang@chtoday.com
