| Wednesday, June 8, 2011 AUL Defends Pregnancy Care Centers from "Scarlet Letter" Campaign by Abortion Lobby in
Case with National Implications 
“Pro-life volunteers do not deserve to be branded and their pregnancy care centers marked with the messages of the abortion industry,”said AUL’s Dr. Charmaine Yoest. This week, Americans United for Life filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of Care Net, Heartbeat International, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, and pregnancy care centers in Maryland, whose free speech rights are being trampled by the abortion lobby through its attempt to brand pregnancy care centers in a “Scarlet Letter” Campaign, said Americans United for Life president and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest. The “Scarlet Letter” campaign is a recent push by the abortion lobby to force its competition in the pro-life community to push an abortion message in pregnancy care centers by requiring signs about abortion to be posted. The abortion industry worked for the passage of multiple ordinances across the country to force abortion messages. Several other lawsuits involving similar ordinances are moving through the courts. In the case involving Baltimore, the lower court has already ruled the forced abortion messages to be an unconstitutional violation of the free speech rights of pro-life Americans, and the case is being closely watched. “The ordinance in the Baltimore case tries to undermine the work of pregnancy care centers by forcing the posting of messages about abortions in the facilities,” said Dr. Yoest. “Apparently, the abortion lobby feels threatened by the loving care available to mothers in pregnancy care centers, and is trying to brand the centers with a ‘Scarlet Letter,’ disparaging the message of loving alternatives to abortion.” AUL’s brief, which is available here, was filed in the Fourth Circuit case Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore. Click here to read the latest news coverage of this story by The Washington Times. ![[object Object]](http://action.aul.org/images/content/pagebuilder/11657.jpg)
Indiana Fights on the Front Lines to
Defund Abortion Providers  At left: Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Indiana continues to come under fire for its efforts to get the American taxpayer out of the business of subsidizing abortion. Planned Parenthood, with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union, filed suit against Indiana after Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the cost-cutting measure into law. President Obama’s administration, not surprisingly, agreed with the Planned Parenthood position that the Hoosier state could not keep funds from the nation’s largest abortion provider. (Click here to read more on this from Politico.) The actual bill, known as the Schneider Amendment (H.B. 1210), would prevent tax dollars from going to abortion providers. According to LifeNews, federal appeals courts have upheld similar bills in Texas and Missouri. “The abortion industry has no constitutional right to continuous taxpayer support,” said Dr. Yoest. “The Obama Administration’s interpretations of federal law have had a consistent anti-life bent. From funding of research that involves destroying human embryos, to its narrow view of conscience protections for healthcare providers, and now its determination that Indiana cannot exclude abortion-providers from Medicaid, the Obama Administration is committed to pursuing its pro-abortion, anti-life agenda.”
Maine Legislature Expected to Consider Multiple AUL Pro-Life Bills This Week  AUL’s Vice President of Government Affairs Daniel McConchie said that pro-life Americans were watching closely the Maine Legislature this week as members were expected to consider three pro-life bills that AUL has championed.
Expected to come up for votes were: - Parental consent: LD 1457, drafted by Americans United for Life and upgrades the state’s parental consent provisions to eliminate existing loopholes in the law. Sponsor: Rep. Dale Crafts. - Women’s Right to Know/Informed Consent: LD 924, based on an AUL model bill and provides Maine women with important information about the risks of abortion. Sponsor: Rep. Eleanor Espling. - 24-hour reflection period: LD116, Provides women with a 24 hours to consider informed consent materials prior to getting an abortion. Sponsor: Rep. Tyler Clark. Last month, AUL Vice President of Government Affairs Daniel McConchie testified on behalf of all three bills. “Women deserve the common sense protections these laws provide,” stated McConchie. “The committee hearing on this legislation was noteworthy in that virtually every supporter of these bills were post-abortive women who had wished these protections had been there when they made their ‘choice.’ Virtually every opponent of this legislation was an abortion provider or ally of the pro-abortion movement – the very ones who profit from abortion.” To check out other model legislation from AUL, go here.
In the News A Louisiana publication notes the sought-after status of a high ranking on AUL’s “Life List” and the state legislators’ attempts to score higher. 
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