Legislation

While much of the attention of pro-life Americans is on Congress and the courts, it is a fact that the vast majority of our pro-life laws are enacted and enforced at the state level.

Access our 2019 state legislative session report

No matter how well-intentioned a law is, it won’t have the intended effect if it isn’t worded correctly; in fact, sometimes it can actually make matters worse. AUL attorneys are highly-regarded experts on pro-life legal language and the Constitution, consulting on bills and amendments across the country. In addition, our model legislation enables legislators to easily introduce bills without needing to research and write the bills themselves, helping ensure that their efforts will have the desired impact and withstand judicial scrutiny.

Since 1992, when the Supreme Court affirmed that States have the constitutional authority to regulate abortion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, it began to undo the damage that Roe v. Wade had done by nullifying the abortion regulations of 49 states in 1973. Since Casey, the abortion rate in America has plummeted by nearly half, savings millions of innocent lives. Americans United for Life has been a key player in this historic life-saving mission, as the majority of State legislation protecting infants and mothers from abortion has been conceived and drafted by our legal experts and passed by State lawmakers working hand-in-hand with our legal team. Once these measures are enacted into law, AUL works with state Attorneys General to defend them in court against lawsuits by Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and Center for Reproductive Rights, who seek to tear down legal protections for women and infants in the womb and relegate America to a regime of unregulated – but constitutionally protected – “back alley” abortion that is highly dangerous for mothers, and deadly for infants.

Americans United for Life attorneys are highly-regarded experts on pro-life legal language and the Constitution, consulting on bills and amendments across the country. Our Policy Guides and Model Legislation enable lawmakers to introduce bills that have sound medical and legal foundations, helping ensure their efforts will have the desired impact and withstand judicial scrutiny. We work hand-in-hand with legislators to minimize avoidable problems so activist judges can’t easily tie a good law up for years in court or strike it down completely.

Americans United for Life is saving millions of lives through strong, constitutionally defensible legislation. We are proud to present our suite of Policy Guides and Model Legislation for 2020, and we invite lawmakers, policy advocates and pro-life organizations and individuals to work with us to enact these life-saving measures into law, toward an nation in which all are welcomed in life and protected in law.

Areas of Legislative Activity

AUL Model Legislation and AUL Legislative Guides are linked below. Request more information for your state by emailing Katie Glenn, Government Affairs Counsel, at katie.glenn@aul.org.

The Infants’ Protection Project
“Missouri Preamble”
Unborn Infants Dignity Act
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act
Born-Alive Infant Protection Act
Custody of Embryonic Children Act
Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act
Unborn Infants Wrongful Death Act
Perinatal Hospice Information Act

Women’s Protection Project
Women’s Health Protection Act
Abortion Reporting Act
Women’s Right to Know Act
Coercive Abuse Against Mothers Prevention Act
Abortion Inducing Drugs Information Act
Coercive Abuse Against Mothers Prevention Act
Child Protection Act
Parental Involvement Enhancement Act