How is Louisiana's private sector responding to half the population losing basic human rights?

I officially became a second-class citizen in Louisiana on Friday, thanks to the trigger ban laws passed by our state legislature, signed by our governor, and enabled by an anti-democratic Supreme Court.?According to the recently enacted SB342, if anyone injects me with sperm (with or without my consent) and I become pregnant, I no longer have legal rights over my body, my health- or really, my future.

A collection of cells inside of me has prerogative over my agency from that point forward, and my medical providers are liable for prosecution & heavy fines if the state thinks they helped to put these cells in danger. All with no regard for my decisions, plans, reasons or willingness to undergo pregnancy and give birth -- physically, mentally, emotionally, financially or otherwise. (Incidentally, Louisiana has some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world.)

I will also most likely no longer have access to emergency contraception as of August 1st, as weirdly (and incorrectly), our laws assert that pregnancy begins both at the moment of fertilization and at implantation — events that happen 8-12 days apart in nature.

That these laws exist is a failure of equality on multiple fronts (please talk to me about the ERA), and will largely affect poor and non-white people -- the already marginalized. I'm speaking from a place of real privilege, as I can likely spend time and money to travel thousands of miles to the nearest open, safe clinic if I need to. The closest ones are now in New Mexico, North Carolina and Chicago. Starting August 1st, obtaining abortion pills through the mail will be illegal in Louisiana, as well. The fact that I, or anyone, would have to travel this far to get safe abortion care in a supposedly modern country is morally repulsive.

Lack of access to a safe and timely abortion for people who need them has been a problem, and now it's much worse without any Constitutional protection. This ruling has also given free rein to states to pass draconian laws on people who can get pregnant.

Pertinently, in Louisiana, a bill made it out of committee in May to convict women of homicide for getting an abortion, and anyone who aided them, as accomplices to murder. This is for a low-risk medical intervention that was a legal and protected right until June 24th, 2022.

I want to call Friday's ruling “regressive” but more appropriately, it's part of a regression in human rights that's unprecedented-- at least since Reconstruction. The US government has also never been permitted to be this intrusive into its own citizens' lives. It's not backwards; it's a new schema of repression. (In a similar vein, this year, families with trans youth are being proactively investigated for child abuse in Texas, and in several states, minors are banned from receiving medical care that "doesn't fit their gender".)

The criminalization and forced endangerment of pregnant people's lives by the state of Louisiana, and in several other states, is a fresh dystopian nightmare quickly becoming real.

A married friend of mine wants to have a baby, but she and her husband are afraid to conceive. She knows she has a genetic predisposition to birth complications and miscarriage. Understandably, they don’t want to take the risk of her being investigated or sued in case that (tragically) happens.

What about the person in an abusive relationship who gets pregnant, and is afraid of being beaten or murdered if their partner finds out? A recent study found that, in Louisiana,?the risk of homicide doubles during pregnancy. Not to mention all the people whose bodies are necessarily forever changed, sometimes badly damaged-- or even killed, by a childbirth they did not consent to?

It should also be common knowledge at this point, that for at least 20 years, studies have shown that banning abortions doesn't change the number of abortions that occur; it just increases the number of unsafe, unregulated procedures. Making abortion inaccessible simply results in more death and disfigurement. On Friday, the last 3 remaining abortion clinics in Louisiana were shut down, and employees sent home – permanently.

Supreme Court Justice Alito’s opinion rests on the argument that abortion was not mentioned in the Constitution. Women weren’t legally considered people when the Constitution was written, so of course it’s not.

Perhaps this is why he turned to Sir Matthew Hale as a legal authority on women in his ruling opinion -- a notorious judge in 17th century England. Hale is famed, in part, for his successful witch-hanging trials, which later inspired the Salem witch burnings.

The audacity needed to use his nearly 500-year old, superstitious, misogynistic and ill-informed ideas as legitimate, legal precedent in determining what constitutes women's human rights in the United States in 2022, is actually frightening. (Maybe Alito's a witch?)

Anyway…?

Why am I posting this letter? Because I am curious. (Also furious.)

I moved back to my hometown of New Orleans from Manhattan in April 2020, at the height of COVID. I got to take my New York City job at a successful tech startup, and NYC salary with me, when I got the greenlight to work remotely. I pay Louisiana taxes on that salary. I then bought a house and became a homeowner in Orleans Parish, where I pay property taxes.

After spending 10 years away from my hometown for better educational & career opportunities, I was thrilled to be able to finally plant myself in the community and culture that I truly love in New Orleans. (Parts of my family has lived here for 8 generations.)

I registered to vote in Louisiana, and I try my best to vote in all local elections. I’ve phone banked & actively campaigned for various candidates and causes I felt would be improvements. I joined the New Orleans Junior League to become more civically engaged and volunteer. (I'm currently the vice-chair of their Financial Literacy Committee. We throw free events to help educate the public, particularly women & families, so they can be more economically empowered.)

In 2021, I got into Tulane’s MBA program, and received a large amount of scholarship money to attend. In my admissions essay, I expressed my sincere hope to bolster and participate in New Orleans’ business community after graduation-- to be part of the solution to our rampant poverty and high crime rates, often driven by poverty. Make it a better place to live. Support the tech & start-up environment here to the best of my ability. Connect with new entrepreneurs. Help find and place investments here.

I am no less passionate about those goals today. But, it will be impossible for me to stay here and do it.

As soon as I’m done at the Freeman School of Business in 2 years, I am leaving. Maybe the country-- but definitely the state of Louisiana. There is no reason I should stay in a place where I have less human rights, and new rigid restrictions that put my welfare and choices at risk, because my interior has a womb.

Since a draft of the opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked weeks ago, this decision to move has crystalized into a sad, and reluctant, necessity.

Louisiana is not an easy place to live. Like many people my age, I made a choice to live here based on love. It makes no sense to be here otherwise. Educated, fairly well-off people who would be good job candidates anywhere, we make a choice to live here every day-- despite the challenges that this state, and the city of New Orleans, present. Lower wages, if you work for a local company. The ongoing human devastation of violence & poverty, and racial inequality. Crumbling (literally) infrastructure. Boil water advisories that happen regularly. Mosquitoes, flying cockroaches and swarming cloud of termites in the summer. Water, trash pickup and electricity that are inordinately expensive. Frequent power outages. It's all something to consider, something I choose to contend with. They're cons in the list of pros and cons that I constantly weigh out.

On the pros side -- tangible moments of joy every day. Familiar faces, traditions, friendship, creativity and ease. A generosity and wisdom in people you don’t see everywhere else. Social bonds that run deep. Unique architecture, tactile emotional links with our history. Unbeatable music as standard. My elegant, comfortable house. Drinks on the street, smiles and laughter. The restorative power of a very, very good meal. The ability to do what you want, with the people that you love. A feeling of freedom.

The hurricanes, potholes, heat and danger we experience are one thing — those are somewhat out of our control, and can be fought against, dealt with, repaired. Living in a society that proactively creates laws that negate my humanity and basic autonomy is something else.?It tilts the scales.

We now have laws on the books that actively repress more than half of Louisiana’s population— ostensibly because of a religious impulse. Cruelly, they will entrap the poorest and most disenfranchised among us, as well.?

In real terms, it's about controlling the population, and women's potential. Maintaining a class of impoverished consumers, who are forced to work for low pay and can't keep savings. (But don't we have that already?)

If nothing else, these laws affect the psychology of every female person in the state -- they say, you don't have basic rights over your own body. We'll make a 10-year old give birth to her own sister. In fact, we fast-tracked legislation to make that happen. It was a policy priority for us to force birth for victims of rape & incest, no matter their age. Try to prevent it and we'll arrest you.

We all saw this coming, as the Louisiana legislature clamored to restrict and prohibit safe abortion access as quickly as it could this spring, and well before that. They've prioritized making life worse for women and their families.

I'm choosing to leave, and I don't think it will help the city or the state. I have spoken to many female friends and family members in the business & arts community in New Orleans who feel the same way as I do. Among my peers, many people who can leave, are planning to. Most are at least considering it.

According to a recent Pew Research poll, 74% of people with graduate degrees in the US support access to abortion. New Orleans already has an acute issue drawing in and retaining a professional class. It's, as mentioned above, not a great place to live in myriad ways. (There are also very few public schools that are up to par with national standards, for example.) So I have to ask, why are we driving away well-educated women (or anyone else who finds these laws distasteful enough to leave)? How is this helpful— to anyone who lives here?

I know it's a mission of the city and its economic leaders to draw in investment, create a tech scene here, to keep the populating growing and to provide good jobs. To improve our educational systems and children’s outcomes indirectly by enabling more prosperity. The fact that so many workers are fully remote is a huge opportunity for the city. Since COVID started, it has attracted talented people from across the country and beyond, their skillsets and salaries in tow.

What's the plan when half of them leave? Or when people with remote jobs come here, but only stay for 2 weeks? They'll give their money to Hilton, or Airbnb owners from out of state.

What about Tulane University, a globally-ranked research institution, with a great reputation? It draws in some of the brightest students from around the world. Do you think they want to live in Louisiana now after school ends?

I'd bet real money that the female student population--- the majority of Tulane's graduates-- are certainly looking elsewhere.

So I'm asking the business community-- what do you suggest so that highly-educated people actually stay in-state, in light of this abhorrent legal environment? How can you help to make this place better?

What are you doing to prevent remote workers from leaving? How can you counteract the “brain drain” that this is causing? What is your stance on this issue, from an economic, educational, or business standpoint? I am genuinely curious and look forward to hearing your thoughts.?