Tag Archives: ADF: Media Clips

LifeSiteNews: Brazilian lawmakers are seeking pass a law prohibiting “homophobia,” which would potentially outlaw all criticism of homosexual behavior. The bill is part of the country’s criminal code reform currently being undertaken in the National Congress, according to members of Brazil’s newly-formed National Association of Evangelical Jurist (ANAJURE). (Piero Tozzi in the video)

GOP USA: Romero would not comment on the lawsuit. Byer was referred to Romero by Michael Norton, a senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, which connects Christian lawyers and advocacy groups. Norton said he does not think women’s health is Planned Parenthood’s priority. “They’re concerned about promoting abortions,” he said. “The bottom line for Planned Parenthood is not women’s health, it’s revenue.”

C-FAM: Pro-life organizations spoke at a special forum at UN headquarters this week to ask the UN General Assembly to reform treaty bodies which deviate from their mandates by pushing abortion, homosexuality and controversial sex ed programs. The UN is in the midst of a full review of the treaty bodies to identify ways to reform a system riddled with backlog, inefficiencies and abuse of authority. (also reported in LifeSiteNews)

SCOTUS Blog: The State of California itself has today filed this amicus brief in Hollingsworth v. Perry, in which it argues not only that California’s own Proposition 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment, but also that the petitioners–four of the Proposition 8 sponsors–do not have article III standing to represent California’s interests in federal court, notwithstanding the ruling of the California Supreme Court that California law assigns such a function to those sponsors to represent California’s interests as a matter of state law  . . . In addition, 13 states and the District of Columbia have filed this brief urging the Court to affirm the judgment of the court of appeals declaring that Proposition 8 is invalid.  – See more at: http://www.scotusblog.com/#sthash.SB3z2dOx.dpuf

ChristianNews.net: However, over two dozen individuals and organizations have filed contrary briefs with the court supporting Biblical marriage. According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is at the forefront of the cases currently before the court, attorney generals from 19 states have filed joint briefs with the Supreme Court in favor of marriage remaining between a man and woman, and at least four legal organizations discussed the religious liberty concerns that the legalization of homosexual “marriage” would raise.

Heather Gebelin Hacker at Speak Up Movement: Recently, our friends at FIRE celebrated a huge victory (along with legal network attorneys Robert Corn-Revere and Cary Wiggins) in obtaining a jury verdict holding Valdosta State University President Ronald M. Zaccari personally liable for violating student Hayden Barnes’ constitutional rights and awarding him $50,000 in damages

Alan Sears at Alliance Defending Freedom: Our children are under legal attack. Across the country, a slew of efforts are underway to punish youngsters for the faith of their parents … to intimidate children and their parents out of any public expression of their faith … and to circumvent even the most innocuous program that might somehow benefit Christian children in school.

World Net Daily: President Obama, who simply said his administration would stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act because he doesn’t like it, has admitted in a court brief that the law that says for federal purposes only marriage between one man and one woman will be recognized is constitutional. That’s from the Alliance Defending Freedom, a premiere civil and religious rights legal team that analyzed the Obama team’s filings in a challenge now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. [more]

San Francisco Chronicle: “I think it’s a strong indication that the people are grappling with these issues, which means that there is absolutely no reason for the Supreme Court to cut short the political dialogue that is under way,” said John Eastman, a law professor at Chapman University and chairman of the National Organization for Marriage. “The wisest course is for the Supreme Court to resist demands to prematurely end the national debate over the future of marriage,” said attorney Jim Campbell of the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Prop. 8′s sponsors.

One News Now: The state, in its appeal of Kelley’s ruling, is asking the state’s highest court to find the voucher program constitutional “in all respects.” Matt Sharp, legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, tells American Family News his firm now has joined sides with the state in defending the program in court. “ADF wrote an amicus brief – a friend of the court brief – to the Louisiana Supreme Court arguing that in addition to the source of funding arguments made by the state, we also think that there’s important liberty interests here of parents,” he explains.

The Stokes News: Alliance Defending Freedom has agreed to provide counsel at no charge to the city. The Alliance Defending Freedom, “a civil liberties education and legal defense organization that provides legal representation,” will face off against Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Both groups have handled cases garnering national attention.

Colorado Springs Gazette: Romero would not comment on the lawsuit. Byer was referred to Romero by Michael Norton, a senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, which connects Christian lawyers and advocacy groups. Norton said he does not think women’s health is Planned Parenthood’s priority. “They’re concerned about promoting abortions,” he said. “The bottom line for Planned Parenthood is not women’s health, it’s revenue.”

LifeSiteNews: Last year the the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) released a 23-page report that found upwards of $99 million in waste or possible Planned Parenthood fraud, including the alleged illegal taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion-related procedures. “Planned Parenthood has to play by the same rules as everyone else,” Steven Aden, vice president for human life issues and senior council at ADF, told LifeSiteNews.com last year. “It is not entitled to a dime of taxpayer funds, especially if it is committing Medicaid fraud.”

Medill Reports Northwestern.edu: Tyndale’s pro bono attorney, Matthew Bowman of Alliance Defending Freedom, believes the for-profit publishing company should be able to advocate on its own behalf. “I think it’s a pattern throughout the Obama administration’s tenure,” he said, “where they are taking large areas of human activity – like healthcare, or education, or business – and saying that because the government wants to control those areas, the government is going to declare that religious freedom does not exist in those areas.” Bowman said he expects the lawsuit to run through the summer, at least. In the meantime, it will be business as usual at Tyndale House. “We’re not going to do anything different than we’ve been doing for many years: continuing to sell Christian-oriented books and Bibles,” Mark Taylor said (includes Tyndale timeline)

Christian Post: “The Supreme Court has made clear that defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman is constitutional as a matter of public policy,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Austin R. Nimocks. “Thus, Congress and President Clinton acted constitutionally when DOMA was enacted. The wisest course is for the Supreme Court to resist demands to prematurely end the national debate over the future of marriage. The court should respect the freedom of both Congress and citizens to affirm a bedrock social institution that diverse cultures and faiths have honored throughout the history of Western Civilization.”

World Magazine: Before the committee vote, Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer Kellie Fiedorek criticized the bill, according to the Chicago Tribune, telling lawmakers it “advances religious intolerance and discrimination towards Illinois citizens with sincerely held religious beliefs.”

KPTV.com: “It gives an open door to any sexual predator, not the transgender community, but any sexual predator that pretends to be transgender. That person can go into the women’s restroom and this gives them easy access to women and, especially, children,” said Joe La Rue of the group Alliance Defending Freedom.

Religion Dispatches: Kellie Fiedorek of the Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly the Alliance Defense Fund) reprised arguments she made at a recent Family Research Council event, characterizing the bill as an effort to expand “sexual liberty” at the expense of religious liberty. She said the bill’s lack of provisions to allow social service agencies, judges and clerks, and individual business owners to discriminate against gay couples was evidence of an “intent to legislative prejudice” against people who have religious objections to same-sex marriage.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys have asked the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to weigh in on a church’s lawsuit over a Phoenix suburb’s flawed sign ordinance.

ADFMedia has created a resource page listing pending HHS suits by state.

Steve Aden was one of several speakers in the Call2Conscience Webcast. | MP3 audio 46:53 mins

Matt Bowman appeared on Stand Up for the Truth | MP3 audio 16:24 mins

World Magazine: Before the committee vote, Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer Kellie Fiedorek criticized the bill, according to the Chicago Tribune, telling lawmakers it “advances religious intolerance and discrimination towards Illinois citizens with sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Chicago Sun Times: “Religious freedom belongs to all people. It’s not confined to four walls of a church or to a certain individual. It belongs to every American. This bill fails to protect religious freedom, that is the constitutionally protected freedom that belongs to every American,” said Kellie Fiedorek, litigation counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, based in Washington, D.C.

Chicago Tribune: Kellie Fiedorek, an official with the Alliance Defending Freedom, argued against the bill. She said it failed to protect the religious freedoms of all Illinoisans because it “advances religious intolerance and discrimination towards Illinois citizens with sincerely held religious beliefs

Windy City Media Group: Kelly Frederick, of the Alliance Defending Freedom, said that the bill failed to protect religious freedom. She noted that Catholic Charities lost its state adoption contracts after the charities refused to place children with same-sex civil union spouses.

KPHO (Joe LaRue in the video): It gives an open door to any sexual predator, not the transgender community, but any sexual predator that pretends to be transgender. That person can go into the women’s restroom and this gives them easy access to women and, especially, children,” said Joe La Rue of the group Alliance Defending Freedom.

Reuters: The brief to be filed in the Proposition 8 case, a draft of which was obtained by Reuters, has been joined by such companies as Apple Inc, Nike Inc, Facebook Inc, Morgan Stanley, Intel Corp, Xerox Corp, AIG Inc and Cisco Systems Inc.

World Net Daily: In a letter, David A. Cortman and other attorneys in the Alliance Defending Freedom told the North Carolina High School Athletics Association it has “a constitutional duty to protect students’ First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.” . . . “We do not believe that the NCHSAA fulfilled that duty in this case and we find the comments made by Mr. Whitfield in support of the NCHSAA referee’s actions deeply troubling,” said the ADF letter. ADF has given the North Carolina group until March 6 to answer whether it will take steps “to ensure that students’ right to express their faith at school athletic events is respected in the future.”

CNSNews: The assertion came in the case of Tyndale House Publishers v. Sebelius, a challenge to the Obama administration’s regulation requiring health-care plans to cover sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs . . . “Consistent with the religious beliefs of Tyndale and its owners, Tyndale’s self-insured plan does not and has never covered abortions or abortifacient drugs or devices such as emergency contraception and intrauterine devices,” Tyndale said in its legal complaint, prepared by the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Buzz Feed: The Alliance Defending Freedom is urging prayers for the lawyers fighting to uphold Proposition 8 and DOMA for them, their families, and their “service on behalf of the just and worthy cause of protecting marriage.” Lawyers opposing the laws get prayers “that God would manifest His goodness in [their] life.” In addition to the prayer effort, the Alliance Defending Freedom is also putting forth an education effort — similar to action being advanced by groups seeking to have DOMA and Proposition 8 struck down.
Here is ADF’s DOMA video . . . | Alliance Defending Freedom Marriage Page

David Hacker at Speak Up Movement: Most people think student fees pay things like services in the student union, the gym, and occasional funding of student groups conducting a service project. But universities have turned these mandatory fees in campus slush funds for the left . . . What can you do? It’s unlikely mandatory student fees will go away anytime soon. But the best answer to bad speech is good speech. If you’re part of a student group on campus, apply to get student fees for your own events that promote decency and respect life.

Mike Norton appeared on the Zeb Bell Show to discuss this: New lawsuit: Planned Parenthood forced, botched abortion. | MP3 audio 11:26 mins

News from the Missouri Family Policy Council: “Silencing religious voices in public schools tells students that faith is something to be ashamed of,” says Jeremy Tedesco of the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the student in the case. “The First Amendment does not allow public schools to require students to put a lid on their expressions of faith.”

Global Dispatch: Earlier this month, Ayanna Byer, through the assistance of the attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, brought a lawsuit to hold Planned Parenthood liable for the botched abortion that she did not consent to . . . The complaint states . . .

Theresa Lynn Sidebotham at JDSupra.com: Still, the case may not be over. The Alliance Defending Freedom has petitioned for a rehearing en banc (by the entire Second Circuit), on the basis that students of faith should not be excluded from fully participating in important events, and that personal speech and well-wishes should not be shut down just because of a religious reference.ADF argues that well-wishes and blessings do have a secular analogue, as expressed by the entire Hallmark industry.3 If this argument shifts the analysis to viewpointdiscrimination, the standard becomes much tougher for the school to meet, even under Hazelwood.

Christian Post: After reports suggested the federal government is considering becoming party to the Prop. 8 case, Austin R. Nimocks, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, who is a co-counsel in the case, told The Christian Post in a phone interview that his group will hold off on commenting on such a brief until, or if, it is actually filed. However, he shared his hopes that the Supreme Court justices will not change the traditional definition of marriage. “The wisest course of action is for the Supreme Court to allow the debate over marriage to continue in this country and not judicially impose same-sex marriage on Americans,” Nimocks said.

JCOnline: Cara Putman , an attorney at Bennett Boehning & Clary LLP, has been recognized by The Alliance Defending Freedom for her work in securing rights within Indiana public high schools.

Patheos: Earlier this month, Byer, through the assistance of the attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, brought a lawsuit to hold Planned Parenthood liable for the botched abortion that she did not consent to.

ChristianNews.net: According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is at the forefront of the cases currently before the court, attorney generals from 19 states have filed joint briefs with the Supreme Court in favor of marriage remaining between a man and woman, and at least four legal organizations discussed the religious liberty concerns that the legalization of homosexual “marriage” would raise.

SCOTUS Blog links to the briefs.

Charisma News: “A woman’s life is more important than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” said Alliance Defending Freedom allied attorney Doug Romero of Denver. “What Planned Parenthood did to Ayanna is beyond the pale. They clearly put her through extraordinary cruelty and jeopardized her life. Their actions were intolerable.” . . . “Is this the type of organization American taxpayers should be funding to the tune of $540 million per year?” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Michael J. Norton, a former U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado who helped author an Alliance Defending Freedom report to the U.S. House of Representatives on the fraudulent use of public funding by Planned Parenthood affiliates. “American tax dollars should be used responsibly and for the common good. Planned Parenthood is irresponsible and only promotes its own self-interest,” Norton added. That was clearly seen most vividly in what they did to Ayanna.”

Alan Sears at Townhall: A lawyer who is not moral is something very akin to a doctor who is not compassionate. He may be capable, technically, of doing the job, but why would he want to? What satisfaction can there ultimately be for a physician in helping people whose well-being he cares nothing about? . . . If the law is not about morals, then it’s about the exercise of power for its own sake: I am making a law so that I can force you to do what I want you to do. Divorced from a higher, deeper, greater moral authority, the exercise of creating, defending, and enforcing the law is about the ego of those whose arrogance demands the subservience of others.

Daily Mail: It is not acceptable to refer your patients to the Emergency Department and assume the on-call doctor will take care of any complications and assume all the risk associated with the complications,’ he said in a statement, provided to Alliance Defending Freedom – the non-profit legal advocacy group handling the woman’s case.

Alliance Defending Freedom at LifeSiteNews: “Is this the type of organization American taxpayers should be funding to the tune of $540 million per year?” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Michael J. Norton, a former U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado who helped author an Alliance Defending Freedom report to the U.S. House of Representatives on the fraudulent use of public funding by Planned Parenthood affiliates. “American tax dollars should be used responsibly and for the common good. Planned Parenthood is irresponsible and only promotes its own self-interest. That was clearly seen most vividly in what they did to Ayanna.”

LifeNews: “A woman’s life is more important than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” said Alliance Defending Freedom allied attorney Doug Romero of Denver. “What Planned Parenthood did to Ayanna is beyond the pale. They clearly put her through extraordinary cruelty and jeopardized her life. Their actions were intolerable.” . . . “Is this the type of organization American taxpayers should be funding to the tune of $540 million per year?” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Michael J. Norton, a former U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado who helped author an Alliance Defending Freedom report to the U.S. House of Representatives on the fraudulent use of public funding by Planned Parenthood affiliates. He told LifeNews, “American tax dollars should be used responsibly and for the common good. Planned Parenthood is irresponsible and only promotes its own self-interest. That was clearly seen most vividly in what they did to Ayanna.”

Christian Post: Austin R. Nimocks, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, who is a co-counsel in the case in favor of upholding Prop. 8, told The Christian Post in a phone interview on Thursday that ADF will hold off on commenting on such a brief until, or if, it is actually filed. However, he shared his hopes that the Supreme Court justices will not change the traditional definition of marriage. “The wisest course of action is for the Supreme Court to allow the debate over marriage to continue in this country and not judicially impose same-sex marriage on Americans,” Nimocks told CP.

Christian Post: “Public schools should encourage, not shut down, the free exchange of ideas. The personal well-wishes of a student are no different just because they mention God,” said Senior Counsel David Cortman. “Public school officials have no legitimate basis to shut down personal speech just because it has a religious reference.” . . . Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the largest legal organizations in the United States championing religious freedom rights, changed its name and logo from Alliance Defense Fund last year.
“Our mission remains the same – defending religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family. Only our name has changed,” ADF President, CEO, and General Counsel Alan Sears stated last July. “The change is to help more people easily understand the work that we do and why it matters.” [more]

Todd Starnes at Fox News: “A woman’s life is more important than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” ADF attorney Doug Romero said. “What Planned Parenthood did to Ayanna is beyond the pale. They clearly put her through extraordinary cruelty and jeopardized her life. Their actions were intolerable.” . . . ADF alleges that the abortion doctor began the procedure while Byer was fully awake – without any anesthesia.
The court documents state the doctor turned on the vacuum machines and told Byer it was too late to stop the abortion.
“Is this the type of organization American taxpayers should be funding to the tune of $540 million per year?” said ADF senior counsel Michael Norton. “Planned Parenthood is irresponsible and only promotes its own self-interest. That was clearly seen most vividly in what they did to Ayanna.” [Alert Editor: Doug Romero is an Allied Attorney; Alliance Defending Freedom Logo embedded in this report]

Live Action News (linked on the Drudge Report): Earlier this month, Byer, through the assistance of the attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, brought a lawsuit to hold Planned Parenthood liable for the botched abortion that she did not consent to . . . Michael Norton, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, believes that taxpayer dollars should not be used to support this type of organization: Is this the type of organization American taxpayers should be funding to the tune of $540 million per year?

The wisest course is for the Supreme Court to resist demands to prematurely end the national debate over the future of marriage. Californians and Congress voted for marriage, and the court should respect the freedom to affirm society’s fundamental building block.

Kevin Theriot at Speak Up Movement: Sometimes offending someone is the best way to communicate with them. As I wrote several weeks ago, being “nice” often means not saying what you really mean. And that’s a problem in a country with a government that is of, for, and by the people. How can we govern ourselves if we aren’t free to say what we really think, even when others don’t like it?

WorldNetDaily: “Is this the type of organization American taxpayers should be funding to the tune of $540 million per year?” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Michael J. Norton, a former U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado who helped author an Alliance Defending Freedom report to the U.S. House of Representatives on the fraudulent use of public funding by Planned Parenthood affiliates. “American tax dollars should be used responsibly and for the common good. Planned Parenthood is irresponsible and only promotes its own self-interest. That was clearly seen most vividly in what they did to Ayanna.”

Information about the Family Research Council webcast and video is here. It runs just over 61 minutes. An extensive description of the event begins: “Religious liberty in America has long been a cherished freedom. In recent decades, reaction to displaying that religion in the public sphere has grown increasingly hostile. What is being done about this slow and methodical attack on the First Freedom? Come hear from those who have battled on the front lines of this issue and have sought to protect the liberty our forefathers handed down. From prayer in schools to speaking against sin in a public place, there are numerous ways that religious liberty has been attacked. It is imperative that we make ourselves aware of the battle fronts and support those who stand as sentinels against encroachment on our first freedom. Join FRC for an informative and important discussion on religious liberty with Kellie Fiedorek, Ken Klukowski, and Adele Keim.”

David Bohon at The New American: ADF Senior Counsel Michael J. Norton, a former U.S. Attorney who helped author an ADF report to the U.S. House of Representatives on alleged Planned Parenthood fraud, noted that the abortion giant receives more than $540 million per year in federal funding. “American tax dollars should be used responsibly and for the common good,” he said. “Planned Parenthood is irresponsible and only promotes its own self-interest. That was clearly seen most vividly in what they did to Ayanna.”

Star Herald (AP): “There’s a critical mass of states that have spoken out and believe states should continue to have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman,” said Jim Campbell, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents supporters of Proposition 8. [This AP report is widely distributed]

The Sentinel: Bloom, in his second term as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, collaborated with Kerriel Bailey, a practicing lawyer from Virginia Beach and allied attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom organization, to create a comprehensive legal guide to help Christians navigate an increasingly secular society. | Amazon Link to the New Book: They’ve Crossed the Line: A Patriot’s Guide to Religious Freedom

Pink News: “There’s a critical mass of states that have spoken out and believe states should continue to have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman,” said Jim Campbell of the anti-equal marriage Alliance Defending Freedom.

Washington Post: “There’s a critical mass of states that have spoken out and believe states should continue to have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman,” said Jim Campbell, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents supporters of Proposition 8.

LifeNews: “A woman’s life is more important than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” said Alliance Defending Freedom allied attorney Doug Romero of Denver. “What Planned Parenthood did to Ayanna is beyond the pale. They clearly put her through extraordinary cruelty and jeopardized her life. Their actions were intolerable.”

Christian Post: In addition to Klukowski, the other two guest speakers were Adele Keim, legal counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Kellie Fiedorek, litigation counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom . . . Fiedorek spoke to those gathered about the various legal suits coming up against Christian businessmen by gay rights groups. These included a photographer sued for refusing to take photos at a gay union ceremony and a baker sued for refusing to provide a cake for a gay union reception.

Douglas Dispatch (Howard Fischer Media): Steven Aden, an attorney with the privately funded Alliance Defending Freedom that is helping the state defend the law, said blocking the law “would frustrate the public’s interest, expressed through its elected representatives, in ensuring that taxpayer dollars do not directly or indirectly support abortions.” Aden also is arguing the state has sovereign rights in determining who can participate in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program. He said it is irrelevant that most of the funds for the program come from the federal government.

Turtle Bay and Beyond: In a submission prepared by Alliance Defending Freedom, Mujeres para la Mujer, and Priests for Life, joined by several others, the organizations asked the Human Rights Council to recall how the quest to uncover and promote universally shared values is at the very root of the human rights project that started at the UN in the aftermath of WWII.

Joel Oster at Speak Up Movement: On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed a bill to allow houses of worship to receive federal disaster aid from FEMA.

David Hacker at Speak Up Movement: We get a number of calls from students asking if we can do anything to help change a bad grade.

WorldNetDaily: Attorney Harold J. Cassidy called the decision of the full 8th Circuit Court of Appeals “a fabulous victory for the women of the state of South Dakota.” . . . Commenting on the decision, Steven H. Aden of the Alliance Defending Freedom said “a woman’s right to make a fully informed choice is more important than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line.” “If Planned Parenthood truly cared about the well-being of women, it would not try to prevent them from being informed of the well-documented risk of suicide that accompanies abortion,” he said. “The 8th Circuit has done the right thing in upholding a reasonable law that protects the well-being of women by making sure that the truth is not hidden from them.” [more]

Matt Bowman Letter to NY Times: A corporation is simply a group of people acting together. The Supreme Court has ruled many times that corporations can exercise religion. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, protects “any” exercise of religion. That protection applies when families earn a living in business.

TheHayride.com: Louisiana Family Forum joined Alliance Defending Freedom in filing an amicus brief with the Louisiana Supreme Court in support of the Louisiana Student Scholarship for Educational Excellence program. [more]

Washington Times: The Obama administration’s rule must be finalized by Aug. 1. “We haven’t had to file anything new, because nothing has really changed,” said Matt Bowman, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing several religious nonprofits and religiously devout corporate owners who have sued over the mandate. He said the lawsuits will continue and likely pick up by August if the exemption is not broadened to cover all religious employers.

One News Now: According to Casey, the teen’s case is not unusual, adding that Texas girls being forced into an abortion can contact the Texas Center for Defense of Life for help. Alliance Defending Freedom makes itself available for such matters across the U.S.

Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review: “Plaintiff Stephen W. Briscoe is a believing and practicing Evangelical Christian,” the brief in the case filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom in federal district court in Colorado explains. Briscoe runs several assisted-living centers and skilled nursing facilities for seniors and “sincerely holds religious beliefs that God mandates respect for the sanctity of each human life and that abortion and abortion-inducing drugs result in the wrongful taking of a human life. Mr. Briscoe seeks to run his businesses in accord with his sincerely held religious beliefs,” the brief reads. Briscoe, who became the first business owner to join over 130 plaintiffs suing over the HHS mandate since the latest insufficient “accommodation” was issued, talked to National Review Online’s Kathryn Jean Lopez.

Benjamin Bull at the Christian Post: Christians sometimes ask me, “Shouldn’t Christians, including Christian lawyers, try to avoid conflict, such as litigation in the courts, and spend their time on prayer and Christian fellowship and evangelism?”

Matt Bowman appeared on the Zeb Bell Show to discuss this: Mt. Sinai Ends Forced Abortion-participation Policy. | MP3 audio 11:09 mins

Matt Bowman, Daniel Blomberg on World Radio (2/16)

Catherine Glenn Foster at Christian Post: Connecticut state senator Ed Meyer’s bill to create “physician-assisted suicide” is not simply an attack on human life generally, but on elder or infirm adults and otherwise-disabled individuals especially. And it is certainly a step too far for Connecticut citizens who appreciate life.