Americans United for Life

Americans United for Life protects and defends human life from conception to natural death through vigorous legislative, judicial, and educational leadership.

Conscience

Americans United for Life applauds Pro-Life Advocates for Filing Lawsuit to Protect the Constitutional Rights of Illinois Healthcare Providers and Patients



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“The abortion industry has moved from ‘choice’ to coercion, actively manipulating the law to force pro-life people to comply with their deadly agenda,” said AUL’s Acting President Clarke Forsythe. “AUL applauds today’s lawsuit in Illinois, against an industry that harms both women and their unborn children.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (08-05-15) – Pro-life advocates filed a lawsuit today to defend the constitutional rights of Illinois patients and healthcare providers who can be forced to promote abortion as a result of a new law, recently signed by Governor Bruce Rauner. Americans United for Life Acting President and Senior Counsel Clarke Forsythe noted that the law, formerly Senate Bill 1564, is detrimental to both healthcare providers and patients, violates people’s constitutional rights of conscience and free speech, and would force Pregnancy Care Centers to discuss so-called ‘benefits’ of abortion and refer for or provide information on where to obtain abortions. Doctors also would be required to facilitate abortions for any reason, and at any stage of pregnancy, despite their conscientious, professional, and medical objections.

“It defies constitutional principles to force people to act and to speak against their personal convictions, and it is even more offense to force people who value both mothers and their unborn children to advocate for something that harms them,” said Forsythe.

AUL attorney Anna Paprocki testified several times against the measure. To read her testimony, click here.

During the debate over the measure, she noted: “Illinois Senate Bill 1564 will create financial liabilities that the State cannot afford. In addition to the potential for Illinois to lose billions of dollars in federal funding for violating longstanding federal conscience laws, the requirements of SB 1564 will subject the State to costly litigation for violating rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  Further, SB 1564’s erosion of Illinois’ conscience protections will add stress on an already over-taxed healthcare system.”

The lawsuit was filed by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Pregnancy Care Center in Rockford, Dr. Anthony Caruso an OB/GYN private care physician that runs A Bella Baby OB/GYN, and Aid for Women pregnancy resource center.

To learn more about the health risks of abortion, click here.

AUL Calls on Washington State to Repeal Discriminatory Rule Designed to Punish Pharmacists Who Respect Unborn Life



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“Despite this missed opportunity to correct an unconstitutional abuse of power, the Washington State rule that punishes pharmacists and pharmacy owners who respect unborn life can and should be immediately repealed,” said AUL’s Clarke Forsythe. “Justice Alito is correct, when he wrote that the Court’s refusal to review this discriminatory rule is an ominous sign for religious liberty.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (06-28-16) — The U.S. Supreme Court today declined an opportunity to hear Stormans v. Wiesman, a challenge to a 2007 Washington Board of Pharmacy rule that punishes pharmacists and pharmacy owners with religious objections to stocking drugs with known life-ending effects. “Despite this missed opportunity to correct an unconstitutional abuse of power, the Washington State rule that punishes pharmacists and pharmacy owners who respect unborn life can and should be immediately repealed,” said Clarke Forsythe, AUL Acting President and Senior Counsel.

“The rule at issue in the Stormans case is unfortunately one of many examples where abortion advocates are pushing an extreme agenda of coercion under the faulty guise of ‘choice.’  As AUL has written about extensively, Planned Parenthood’s fingerprints are all over the unnecessary and unconstitutional rule,” continued Forsythe.

He noted that Justice Samuel Alito began his dissent to the Supreme Court’s refusal to review the discriminatory rule, writing, “This case is an ominous sign.” Alito also noted:

“[T]here is much evidence that the impetus for the adoption of the regulations was hostility to pharmacists whose religious beliefs regarding abortion and contraception are out of step with prevailing opinion in the State.”

“[T]his Court does not deem this case worthy of our time. If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern.”

The case “has raised more than ‘slight suspicion’ that the rules challenged here reflect antipathy toward religious beliefs that do not accord with the views of those holding the levers of government power.”

“The conscience rights of all Americans are at risk when they can be ignored by those who do not share the same opinion,” observed Forsythe.

AUL has a long history of involvement in this case.  On an earlier appeal of this case to the Ninth Circuit, AUL filed an amicus brief on behalf of Washington legislators in support of pro-life pharmacists. On a later second appeal, AUL filed a similar amicus brief on behalf of Members of Congress.

In January, Americans United for Life joined a medical amicus curie (friend of the court brief) as co-counsel in an effort headed by the Bioethics Defense Fund (BDF) and lead attorney Dorinda Bordlee to defend the First Amendment freedom of conscience of pharmacists.  The brief demonstrates that conscience objections to drugs misleadingly called “emergency contraceptives,” specifically Plan B and ella, are consistent with objective science showing that the drugs have the capacity to end the life of an unique human being. The brief was filed on behalf of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Catholic Medical Association, Christian Medical Association, and Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International.

To read more about the anti-conscience campaign orchestrated by Planned Parenthood visit AUL’s Planned Parenthood Exhibits.

AUL Will Continue Fight to Protect Conscience as Supreme Court Returns Challenges Brought By Religious Nonprofits to Lower Courts



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“Today’s decision implicitly recognizes that the Obama Administration does not need to violate the First Amendment and hijack the health insurance plans of pro-life Americans to push life-ending drugs,”
said Clarke D. Forsythe, Acting President and Senior Counsel of Americans United for Life.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (05-16-16) In a three-page per curium opinion issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated and remanded Zubik v. Burwell and multiple other challenges by religious non-profits to the coercive HHS Mandate.  While the Court explained that it was not deciding the merits of the cases, including whether the government even has a “compelling interest” for the Mandate, it acknowledged that the federal government has finally conceded it has other options besides its current scheme that hijacks the healthcare plans of nuns and priests.  Americans United for Life Acting President and Senior Counsel Clarke D. Forsythe noted, “The Obama Administration does not need to violate the First Amendment and hijack the health insurance plans of pro-life Americans to push life-ending drugs. It is disgraceful that the Administration has spent years trying to bully the Little Sisters of the Poor, Priests for Life, and the other plaintiffs in these cases, to force compliance with an anti-life agenda. Under the directives of the Supreme Court’s decision today, the lower courts should put a stop to this unconstitutional and unconscionable scheme.”

In support of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the other religious non-profits, AUL filed our 29th amicus brief against the coercive HHS Mandate, which requires most insurance plans to provide coverage for life-ending drugs and devices.  In its brief, available here, AUL demonstrates that pro-life Americans are correct in objecting to the life-ending drugs included in the Mandate, detailing how the life of a new human being begins at fertilization (conception), that so-called “emergency contraception” has post-fertilization effects that can prevent a new, developing human being from implanting in the uterus and thus ending his or her young life, and that forcing the religious employers such as Little Sisters of the Poor and Priests for Life to facilitate and provide coverage for such drugs violates their First Amendment freedoms.

AUL’s brief was filed on behalf of Association of American Physicians & Surgeons, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Christian Medical Association, Catholic Medical Association, Physicians for Life, National Association of Pro Life Nurses, National Association of Catholic Nurses, and The National Catholic Bioethics Center.

“Before Obamacare became law, AUL warned that the conscience rights of pro-life Americans were at risk from the proposed mandates. In fact, AUL testified multiple times about the violations of conscience and religious liberty that would result. Sadly, these cases are evidence of the Administration’s determination to manufacture a fundamental break with our nation’s longstanding tradition of respecting faith and religious beliefs. We are grateful for all of our friends and allies who have stood side-by-side with us in this over six-year battle to protect our cherished freedoms, and we will redouble these efforts as these cases return to the lower courts,” said AUL Staff Counsel Anna Paprocki.

Abortion is woven into the healthcare law at multiple levels, making repeal of the law a pro-life necessity, including:

·      Failing to prohibit the use of federal tax dollars for abortion, abortion coverage, and abortion-inducing drugs and devices.

·      Pretending that the Hyde Amendment protections were enough to prohibit direct payment for abortions.

·      Permitting federally subsidized Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) to provide abortion coverage through the state insurance exchanges required in all 50 states.

·      Failing to prohibit all multi-state qualified health plans from providing coverage for abortion.

·      Including a “preventive care” mandate that is being used in an attempt to force coverage of drugs and devices known to end life.

·      Failing to provide comprehensive First Amendment conscience protections for individuals, employers, and insurance companies that have religious or moral objections to abortion.

To learn more about life-affirming healthcare, go to AUL’s unique project, RealHealthcareRespectsLife.com

AUL Will Continue Fight to Protect Conscience as Supreme Court Returns Challenges Brought By Religious Nonprofits to Lower Courts



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“Today’s decision implicitly recognizes that the Obama Administration does not need to violate the First Amendment
and hijack the health insurance plans of pro-life Americans to push life-ending drugs,”
said Clarke D. Forsythe, Acting President and Senior Counsel of Americans United for Life.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (05-16-16) In a three-page per curium opinion issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated and remanded Zubik v. Burwell and multiple other challenges by religious non-profits to the coercive HHS Mandate.  While the Court explained that it was not deciding the merits of the cases, including whether the government even has a “compelling interest” for the Mandate, it acknowledged that the federal government has finally conceded it has other options besides its current scheme that hijacks the healthcare plans of nuns and priests.  Americans United for Life Acting President and Senior Counsel Clarke D. Forsythe noted, “The Obama Administration does not need to violate the First Amendment and hijack the health insurance plans of pro-life Americans to push life-ending drugs. It is disgraceful that the Administration has spent years trying to bully the Little Sisters of the Poor, Priests for Life, and the other plaintiffs in these cases, to force compliance with an anti-life agenda. Under the directives of the Supreme Court’s decision today, the lower courts should put a stop to this unconstitutional and unconscionable scheme.”

In support of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the other religious non-profits, AUL filed our 29th amicus brief against the coercive HHS Mandate, which requires most insurance plans to provide coverage for life-ending drugs and devices.  In its brief, available here, AUL demonstrates that pro-life Americans are correct in objecting to the life-ending drugs included in the Mandate, detailing how the life of a new human being begins at fertilization (conception), that so-called “emergency contraception” has post-fertilization effects that can prevent a new, developing human being from implanting in the uterus and thus ending his or her young life, and that forcing the religious employers such as Little Sisters of the Poor and Priests for Life to facilitate and provide coverage for such drugs violates their First Amendment freedoms.

AUL’s brief was filed on behalf of Association of American Physicians & Surgeons, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Christian Medical Association, Catholic Medical Association, Physicians for Life, National Association of Pro Life Nurses, National Association of Catholic Nurses, and The National Catholic Bioethics Center.

“Before Obamacare became law, AUL warned that the conscience rights of pro-life Americans were at risk from the proposed mandates. In fact, AUL testified multiple times about the violations of conscience and religious liberty that would result. Sadly, these cases are evidence of the Administration’s determination to manufacture a fundamental break with our nation’s longstanding tradition of respecting faith and religious beliefs. We are grateful for all of our friends and allies who have stood side-by-side with us in this over six-year battle to protect our cherished freedoms, and we will redouble these efforts as these cases return to the lower courts,” said AUL Staff Counsel Anna Paprocki.

Abortion is woven into the healthcare law at multiple levels, making repeal of the law a pro-life necessity, including:

·      Failing to prohibit the use of federal tax dollars for abortion, abortion coverage, and abortion-inducing drugs and devices.

·      Pretending that the Hyde Amendment protections were enough to prohibit direct payment for abortions.

·      Permitting federally subsidized Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) to provide abortion coverage through the state insurance exchanges required in all 50 states.

·      Failing to prohibit all multi-state qualified health plans from providing coverage for abortion.

·      Including a “preventive care” mandate that is being used in an attempt to force coverage of drugs and devices known to end life.

·      Failing to provide comprehensive First Amendment conscience protections for individuals, employers, and insurance companies that have religious or moral objections to abortion.

To learn more about life-affirming healthcare, go to AUL’s unique project, RealHealthcareRespectsLife.com

AUL Joins Bioethics Defense Fund in Legal Brief Defending First Amendment Conscience Rights of Pharmacists



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WASHINGTON, D.C. (02-05-16) – Americans United for Life joined a medical amicus curie (friend of the court brief) as co-counsel in an effort headed by the Bioethics Defense Fund (BDF) and lead attorney Dorinda Bordlee to defend the First Amendment freedom of conscience of pharmacists. The case, Stormans Inc. v. Wiesman, involves a 2007 Washington Board of Pharmacy rule regarding “emergency contraceptives,” which can end unborn life. Noting that pharmacists with faith-based conscience objections must stock and dispense so-called “emergency contraceptive” drugs that have the capacity to end early human life, a federal district court invalidated it in 2012 and found that it violated religious freedom. However, in July 2015, the Ninth Circuit overruled the district court and upheld the constitutionality of the rule. The brief filed by BDF and AUL urges the Court to accept the appeal of the erroneous Ninth Circuit ruling. 

“At stake in this case are the rights of medical professionals to refuse to engage in the sale and distribution of life-ending drugs,” noted AUL President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest. “As the abortion industry has moved from ‘choice’ to coercion, we have repeatedly witnessed violations of Americans’ basic rights, as they and their businesses are attacked by abortion advocates.”

Bordlee noted, “This amicus brief by five medical associations is important because it educates the Supreme Court that the Washington pharmacists’ conscience objections to ‘emergency contraceptives,’ specifically Plan B and ella, are consistent with objective science showing that the drugs have the capacity to end the life of a human being at the embryo stage of development.”

Asserting that it is immoral to force medical professionals to engage in commerce that offends their consciences, the following organizations are represented by the brief: the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Catholic Medical Association, Christian Medical Association, and Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International.

The brief also specifically notes that, according to established medical science, a new, distinct, human being comes into existence at the moment of sperm-egg fusion, and that “emergency contraceptives” such as Plan B and ella  have the capacity to end the life of a new human being at the embryonic stage of development.   

Click here to read the brief.

Click here to learn more about the health risks of abortion for women.

AUL’s Legal Team Files 29th Brief Defending Conscience Rights of Americans Opposed to Life-Ending Drugs



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“Obamacare’s punishing life-ending mandates represent the abortion industry’s move from ‘choice’ to coercion, and AUL won’t give up the fight to protect Americans’ freedoms,” said AUL’s Dr. Charmaine Yoest.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (01-11-16) – Americans United for Life’s legal team filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief today in seven consolidated cases before the U.S. Supreme Court that challenge the Obama Administration’s “HHS mandate” that forces religious non-profit employers to facilitate insurance coverage of life-ending drugs and devices.  The filing marks AUL’s 29th amicus brief defending the rights of Americans under assault by the landmark anti-life law that is known as Obamacare.

“The Obama Administration’s commitment to advancing an abortion agenda is so perverse that it has spent several years in court attempting to force nuns, priests, and religious schools to be complicit in providing insurance coverage for life-ending drugs and devices. AUL is committed to defending freedom of conscience and urges the Supreme Court to put an end to this coercive, unlawful, and unconstitutional mandate.” said AUL President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest.

She continued: “The Obama Administration has known from day one that its HHS Mandate violates religious freedom guarantees, which is why it crafted a narrow exemption for churches. But it is equally unlawful and unconstitutional to demand that religious non-profits, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor and Priest for Life, which share the same religious objection as those churches that were granted exemptions, comply with the mandate.”

The Obama Administration announced in an August 2014 regulation that those with religious beliefs opposed to facilitating and paying for life-ending drugs and devices must hand over to the federal government the name and contact information “for any of the plan’s third party administrators and health insurance issuers.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made clear that it will use that information to force the religious employer’s insurance carrier to include the objected-to items and services in the policies purchased by the religious employer.

In November 2015, the Supreme Court granted review in seven cases challenging the Obama Administration’s mandate that forces these religious non-profits to facilitate insurance coverage of life-ending drugs and devices. The now-consolidated cases of Zubik et al. v. Burwell, Priests for Life et al. v. Department of Health & Human Services, Roman Catholic Archbishop v. Burwell, East Texas Baptist University vs. Burwell, Little Sisters of the Poor et al. v. Burwell, Southern Nazarene University et al. v. Burwell, and Geneva College v. Burwell, are on appeal from the Third, Fifth, Tenth, and District of Columbia Circuits.

In its brief, available here, AUL demonstrates that the life of a new human being begins at fertilization (conception), that so-called “emergency contraception” has post-fertilization effects that can prevent a new, developing human being from implanting in the uterus and thus ending his or her young life, and that forcing the religious employers such as Little Sisters of the Poor and Priests for Life to facilitate and provide coverage for such drugs violates their freedom of conscience guaranteed by the Constitution and federal law.

AUL’s brief was filed on behalf of Association of American Physicians & Surgeons, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Christian Medical Association, Catholic Medical Association, Physicians for Life, National Association of Pro Life Nurses, National Association of Catholic Nurses, and The National Catholic Bioethics Center.

Dr. Yoest remarked that “federal law and the Constitution do not support the Obama Administration’s shell-game of selective respect for religious freedom.  The Supreme Court has already rightly held in Hobby Lobby that the Obama Administration cannot punish family-run businesses with crippling fines for being pro-life. It is basic commonsense that the law likewise protects nuns, priests, and religious schools from similar coercion.”

Click here to learn more about life-affirming healthcare.