Tag Archives: Alliance Defense Fund

Concord Monitor: Meanwhile, the ADF and its allies regrouped and responded to the Indiana setback with a more intricate attack on Planned Parenthood, with the ironic title of “Whole Woman’s Health Funding Priorities Act.” [more]

World Magazine: The latest lawsuit, Newland v. Sebelius, is the first filed on behalf of a private company and one that could put a stop to the mandate before it goes into effect Nov. 1. Religious institutions have until August 2013 to comply. But Hercules Industries, a family-owned business in Denver, seeks immediate relief from the requirement. The Alliance Defense Fund represents the family, whose members said their Catholic beliefs will be violated if they are forced to provide health coverage that pays for abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives, and sterilization.

Baptist Press: The SBA List and the Alliance Defense Fund drafted model legislation on which the new law is based. SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said the measure “recognizes that women deserve whole-woman care, not abortion.”

“No one should usurp the sovereign right of a nation to determine the best way to protect life. Costa Rica protects preborn life ‘from conception.’ The Inter-American system must not intrude upon an area of domestic policy that is solely Costa Rica’s to decide.”

Alan E. Sears at The Alliance Defense Fund Blog: One of the most pernicious – and frankly, most ridiculous – ongoing assaults on religious freedom isn’t happening in the halls of Congress or on college campuses or even in the workplace. It’s happening every day in elementary schools around the country, where young children with no agenda whatsoever are being penalized simply for inviting their friends to church.

Jordan Lorence at Townhall: Therefore, the “domestic partner” plans in Durham, Orange County, and elsewhere give the financial benefits of marriage to unmarried partners without imposing the duties of marriage. That means these local “domestic partner” ordinances treat unmarried couples better than married couples. If local governments want to give benefits to households under no legal duty to support others, they can do so with neutral criteria that apply to all unmarried households.

Austin R. Nimocks at American Thinker: Question for Mr. Biden: can you look a child in the eye and tell him (or her) that you’re “absolutely comfortable” with depriving him of a mother or a father because you decided that he doesn’t need one?

One News Now: ADF attorney Erik Stanley weighs in on the issue. “Public monuments to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice should not be dismantled because a few offended activists want to scrub the public square clean of anything that hints of religion,” says Stanley . . . ADF attorney Joe Infranco says that complaint is getting old. “The idea that this 91-year-old memorial is unconstitutional is a tiresome claim from a radical group that has dreamed of a purely secularized society for years,” states Infranco.

One News Now: Theriot says the unconstitutional policies are setting a dangerous precedent. “We are teaching our kids that there are certain views or … certain religious beliefs that have fallen out of favor and they’re allowed to be restricted and it’s okay to restrict them,” he laments. “And of course, that undermines the foundational principles this country was founded upon.”

One News Now: “To say than an Easter egg hunt invitation offered from one student to another during non-instructional time is somehow not allowed in America is preposterous,” states [Matt] Sharp. “ADF has litigated numerous cases similar to this one, and the law is clear: invitations like this are protected by the Constitution.” [more – Jeremy Tedesco also quoted)

Successes in challenge to anti-conversion law, convictions against persecutors of Christians

LifeNews: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, on Friday night, signed a pro-life bill that would prevent taxpayer funding of the Planned Parenthood abortion business, which does more than one-fourth of all abortions in the United States. The Whole Woman’s Health Funding Priority Act of Arizona (HB 2800 . . . The bill is based on model legislation developed by the SBA List and the Alliance Defense Fund, and prioritizes family planning funds away from abortion-centered businesses like Planned Parenthood to entities that provide women with comprehensive health care.

David Cortman at Townhall: Recently, she added another statement to the list when she expressed support for the idea of amending the First Amendment. (That’s not a typo.) Pelosi is pushing this under the guise of removing the influence of money from political campaigns. Because her first attempt to do this, via the McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance Reform legislation in 2003, was squashed . . .

Byron Babione at Townhall: This testimony was provided to the Colorado House Judiciary Committee on May 3, 2012 concerning Colorado S.B. 002, a proposed “civil unions” bill . . . Here’s how the strategy works. Civil union and same-sex “marriage” proponents push for civil unions, claiming that it’s only fair to give some formal government recognition to same-sex relationships. Once passed or judicially imposed, they sue arguing that the laws are discriminatory because they are really marriages deprived of the name.

One News Now: The Freedom From Religion Foundation and other groups like them routinely issue legal threats to cities and towns in their quest to scrub the public square free of any trace of religion,” Harvey reports. “The courts have repeatedly disagreed with them because the Constitution requires no such thing. As the U.S. Supreme Court has recently stated, ‘The Constitution does not oblige the government to avoid any public acknowledgment of religion’s role in society.’”

One News Now: Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Greg Baylor says the Justice Department is out of line in contending that the lawsuit filed by western Pennsylvania’s Geneva College was premature. The college is seeking to have controversial parts of the Affordable Health Care Act struck down. “This mandate applies to them, and it’s going to apply to them in the near future. So they were not too early in asking a court to intervene and step in and protect their important fundamental right,” Baylor argues.

World Net Daily: America’s universities take pride in their promotion of the free exchange of ideas, but many regularly censor the speech of students, and the legal advocacy group Alliance Defense Fund is working to change that . . . “Public universities should encourage, not censor, the free exchange of ideas,” said Kevin Theriot, a senior counsel for the organization. [more]

The Spokesman-Review: The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund recently sent letters to universities and colleges in 23 states taking issue with policies that it claims place unconstitutional restrictions on student speech and prevent religious student groups from receiving activity fees that go to nonreligious student groups.

The Republic: The Alliance Defense Fund contends the university “can resolve this problem by simply adopting an exemption from its non-discrimination policy for religious student groups that select their members and leaders on the basis of their religious beliefs,” attorney David Hacker said in his letter. “Failing to take this action would unnecessarily make the university vulnerable to a federal lawsuit.” [more]

Civil unions undermine marriage, as has been proven across the country. Well-meaning folks, including legislators, who oppose redefining marriage, yet support civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples, do so with a mistaken belief: that both sides of the marriage debate will be satisfied with this apparent compromise.

ADF Attorney Byron Babione’s testimony to the Colorado House in opposition to the Civil Unions Bill, SB 002 is here. Byron concludes:

It should be clear by now that opposing same-sex “marriage” while supporting civil unions and domestic partnerships is akin to the Trojans dragging a wooden horse into the middle of Troy. This Committee should be well aware that any civil union scheme that they chose to wheel through the front gate will unravel the institution of marriage, which the people of this State continue to cherish.

Citizen Link: The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) announced today the launch of a new project aiming to make sure Christians have the right to speak and behave according to the dictates of their faith on college campuses nationwide.

ADF offers free legal counsel to municipalities in wake of atheist group’s threats over prayer events

Erik Stanley at the

MySanAntonio.com (AP): The Alliance Defense Fund issued a statement Thursday saying Idaho’s oldest public university is among more than 160 schools nationwide with policies that violate students’ religious freedoms.

One News Now: In a letter [PDF] to university officials, Travis Barham of Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) complains that officials and the teacher of Elaina Smith, the art student who vandalized the crosses, were aware that this was going to occur, yet they did nothing to stop it. He points out that it is the duty of university officials to protect students’ First Amendment rights, not “passively allow them to be violated.” [more]

KGWN.tv: Byron Babione, with the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative group that stands for religious freedom, echoed the concerns of some of the opponents when he said civil unions are “marriage without the name.”

WSET.com (ABC13): Opponents argue civil unions undermine traditional marriage and that voters expressed their position on the issue when they banned same-sex marriage in 2006. Byron Babione, with the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative group that stands for religious freedom, echoed the concerns of some of the opponents when he said civil unions are “marriage without the name.”

LifeSiteNews: The Christian Post reports that Bulgaria’s government is instituting new family law asserting that while parents have responsibilities towards their children, they have no rights to make educational decisions. Viktor Kostov, a Bulgarian lawyer and human rights activist, reports . . . He warns that should the bill pass, it could be used by state ideologues to quash the religious and political rights of citizens by threatening their custody over their children. Freedom for All Advocates, the Alliance Defense Fund, and the Home School Legal Defense Association have intervened in the debate over the bill, warning that similar measures in other EU countries have resulted in the state having near-total control over families and children.

The Alliance Defense Fund has launched a new legal effort to change unconstitutional policies at more than 160 public universities and colleges by sending a first round of 40 letters to schools in 23 states. The schools all have policies that violate the rights of students protected by the First Amendment.

Alan E. Sears at Townhall: Amid the busy nature of our 21st century society—with all the distractions that technology, advertising, and work often bring—it’s easy to lose sight of what’s foundational. This is true even for those who are watching our societal decay and fighting to retrieve solid footing for life over death in the rough-and-tumble battle over abortion in this country.

Tulsa Beacon: A spokesman for the Alliance Defense Fund said Hands On Originals has a practice of not doing business with groups that don’t reflect its moral and Christian values. The homosexuals complained to the “human rights commission” and filed a formal charge. A commissioner said that a homosexual business owner could refuse to do work for a Christian but a Christian could not refuse a job for homosexuals. “Americans in the marketplace should not be subject to predatory legal attacks simply for abiding by their beliefs,” said ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Jim Campbell. “The Constitution prohibits the government from forcing business owners to promote messages they disagree with, so the commission should immediately dismiss this complaint. This kind of bullying may be practiced in a dictatorship, but violations of conscience have no place in the United States.”

Sarah Torre at the Heritage Foundation: The contraception mandate has met yet another foe. On Monday, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a complaint against Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius on behalf of Hercules Industries, Inc., a family-owned HVAC manufacturer based in Denver, Colorado.

The New American: “There’s simply something sick and beyond twisted about smiling while raising money that will knowingly be used to snuff out lives,” the Alliance Defense Fund’s Steven Aden writes. “And something even more disturbing about the fact that so many of the teams in the National Abortion Access Bowl-A-Than [sic] do so with pure glee, if not [bravado].”

Christian Post: Steve Aden, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, praised the 5th Circuit’s decision on allowing states such as Texas to withhold taxpayer dollars to organizations that provide abortions. “Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for abortions,” said Aden in a written statement on Tuesday.

Beaver County Times: The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh in February . . . Gregory Baylor, senior counsel for ADF in Washington, D.C., said during a February appearance on the Geneva campus that the compromise is not officially part of the legislation and doesn’t legally have to be honored. And if the compromise was honored, the organizations still would be paying for things they find objectionable through their health insurance premiums, he said.

WPXI.com: The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal judge in Pittsburgh to dismiss a Christian college’s lawsuit challenging proposed regulations requiring employers to offer birth control coverage . . . The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, filed the lawsuit . . .

One News New: ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco explains . . . “They reacted the right way once the lawsuit was filed,” the attorney asserts. “We got the changes we wanted in the policies, the flyers were approved for distribution. So ultimately, the school district should be commended for doing the right thing, all the while understanding that they disclaim liability.” {more]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Gregory Baylor, an attorney for the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance Defense Fund, which is spearheading Geneva’s legal challenge, said the college “can’t rely upon promises” of future protection from enforcement. Federal attorneys “don’t want courts to address this on the merits because I believe they are nervous about their prospects,” Mr. Baylor said. “It’s going to be difficult for them to convince the courts that this doesn’t violate the right of conscience.” [more . . . ]

Catholic News Agency: Alliance Defense Fund Legal Council Matt Bowman said the mandate, which also forces businesses to provide sterilization and contraception, “unconstitutionally coerces the leadership of Hercules Industries to violate their religious beliefs and consciences under the threat of heavy fines and penalties.” “Every American should know that a government with the power to do this to anyone can do this – and worse – to everyone,” Bowman said in an April 30 statement, announcing the manufacturer’s lawsuit against the administration. “The government shouldn’t punish people of faith for making decisions in accordance with their faith,” commented Bowman. “That is simply not acceptable in America.”

The Advocate: Hawaii Family Forum is represented by the antigay Alliance Defense Fund, which has been involved in legal battles over marriage equality across the country.

Ken Connor at Townhall: This week, another of the President’s infamous “compromises” is in the spotlight, namely his executive order expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Stymied by existing law limiting the government’s involvement in this ethically troubling area of “scientific” work, the President crafted a workaround based on rhetorical hair-splitting, issued his order, and the dollars began flowing. The Alliance Defense Fund filed suit to enjoin the funding and in 2010 a federal judge issued a temporary injunction blocking the executive order. [also available at Renew America]

“Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for abortions. The court’s decision against the position of Planned Parenthood and the Obama administration again shows that the abortion industry and its political allies are bluffing when they say that states cannot stop taxpayer funding from being used directly or indirectly for abortions. The court has done the right thing in upholding the state’s right to exclude abortionists from the program, especially ones like Planned Parenthood, which is currently under investigation by Congress for fraud.”

Kevin Theriot at Townhall: In addition to pushing to redefine marriage in different states around the country, homosexual activists have spent the last year or two pushing for censorship of free speech under the guise of “anti-bullying” campaigns. There is a serious problem with the very idea of “anti-bullying” campaigns which often culminate in legislation or policies geared specifically toward protecting those who say they are homosexual from criticism or offense. These laws routinely violate the First Amendment because they not only restrict some free speech but create a double standard which allows offensive and demeaning criticism of groups that aren’t protected by the “anti-bullying” statutes or policies

Steve Aden at Townhall: But off the radar of major news outlets like Fox News and CNN, or newspapers like The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune, another culture-of-death surprise has been taking place—namely, the National Abortion Access Bowl-A-Thon.

One News Now: “The government shouldn’t punish people of faith for making decisions in accordance with their faith,” contends ADF attorney Matt Bowman. “Every American should know that a government with the power to punish people for their faith can do that, and worse, to everyone. The abortion pill mandate unconstitutionally coerces the leadership of Hercules Industries to violate their religious beliefs and consciences under the threat of heavy fines and penalties.” Bowman concludes “that is not acceptable in America.”

WoonsocketCall.com: Buoyed by offers of free legal assistance and an outpouring of public support, the City Council will decide tonight whether to establish a defense fund to keep the monument at Place Jolicoeur, in the parking lot of Fire Station No. 2, with the Latin cross intact . . . The Liberty Counsel, the Alliance Defense Fund and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which supported Cranston’s fight to save a prayer banner, are among the national organizations offering free legal help.

KITV.com: The judge made the ruling after an Alliance Defense Fund attorney representing Hawaii Family Forum argued in favor of granting a motion that attorneys filed in March.

Judge grants ADF motion to allow Hawaii Family Forum to defend marriage in lawsuit

Joel Oster at the ADF Blog: On Thursday, May 3, 2012, teachers, electricians, athletes, public officials, mothers, bankers, doctors, and indeed Christians from all walks of life will be seeking the face of God. On this 61st annual observance of the National Day of Prayer, Americans across this nation will join the millions who have done so before, and will seek His guidance, His blessings and His will for our nation. We at the Alliance Defense Fund encourage you to join with us, and the many others, in seeking Him on this special day.

ADF attorneys file suit against administration’s ‘abortion pill’ mandate
on behalf of Denver’s Hercules Industries

Alan E. Sears at Townhall: When Congress passed ObamaCare in March 2010, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) admitted she didn’t know what was in the bill, but promised constituents and fellow politicians, “We’ll find out what’s in it once we pass it.” Talk about a harbinger of things to come. And in the two years since the bill’s passage the American people have not only found out what’s in it, they’ve discovered that part of the legislation purposely hides the fact that ObamaCare covers abortions.

Travis Barham at the Speak Up University Blog: Though universities frequently wax eloquent about the critical importance of free speech, they often fail to protect vigorously the basic freedoms of pro-life students. And Western Kentucky University is the latest example of this gap between rhetoric and reality on campus.

Travis Barham at the Speak Up Movement University Blog: Everything changed last week when the group learned that it would not be recognized unless it made one change to its constitution. How did Vanderbilt want the group to change? It must stop requiring leaders to have a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ.” The University dictated that this ministry can only select leaders based on “level and quality of past involvement, commitment to the organization, and demonstrated leadership ability.”

LA Times: Coppedge found his lawyer, William Becker, through the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian group that’s also helping fund Coppedge’s defense. Becker has also worked with the Discovery Institute, a prominent intelligent design group based in Seattle and a key force in helping portray Coppedge as a victim of religious bigotry. “There is a worldview war in this country,” Becker said in an interview. “There’s a battle between people who think religious people are trying to disrupt the integrity of the scientific method and those who know we’re not.”

Kelly O’Connell at Canada Free Press: But today, American Believers languish in a ghetto assembled for anyone suggesting religion should influence public policy. Yet, as our currency reveals, previously such influences were assumed. If our forebears were under the same secularist strictures seen today, the early West would have never escaped mediocrity . . . There are federal sanctions for American pastors preaching on political issues. The Alliance Defense Fund describes IRS rule against political preaching . . . The Alliance Defense Fund is calling for a Pulpit Freedom Sunday where pastors talk specifically about political issues, in rejection of IRS rules. Writes the Christian Science Monitor . . . Ironically, ADF reports no church has ever lost its tax exempt status over the rule, and yet hundreds of thousands of pastors are cowed into silence every week by such fears . . .

WorldNetDaily: “A Christian organization should have the same right to publicize its voluntary meetings as other groups do,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “The district has done the right thing in approving the Good News Club fliers for distribution and revising its policies that banned religious fliers,” he said. “That will allow the club and other similar groups to have the same access to publicize their events to students that all other groups enjoy.”

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund sent the president of Western Kentucky University a letter Thursday on behalf of a pro-life student club after an art student desecrated its display of crosses by draping them with condoms and calling it an act of art and free expression. The letter explains that university officials, including the student’s teacher, were either aware that the vandalism was going to occur, did nothing to stop it, or even condoned the student’s actions.

One News Now: The church in Maine has been denied a tax exemption for its parking lot under the theory that a parking lot does not serve as a religious purpose,” Oster reports. “We, of course, think that is absurd. A church is a religious organization, and people who go to church, they park in their parking lot. That shows a very valid purpose for the operation and function of a church.”

Christian Post: A Christian organization should have the same right to publicize its voluntary meetings as other groups do,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “The district has done the right thing in approving the Good News Club fliers for distribution and revising its policies that banned religious fliers. That will allow the club and other similar groups to have the same access to publicize their events to students that all other groups enjoy.”

Available for media interviews following Carmichael’s oral argument in favor of Hawaii Family Forum’s motion to intervene in Jackson v. Abercrombie, a legal attack on Hawaii’s marriage laws

Life News: This morning, our friends at the Alliance Defense Fund faxed a letter to WKU President Ransdell requesting that they respond to our four requests. (View the ADF letter here.)

Christian Civic League Faith Matters in Maine Update (Audio 1:03 mins): In one Faith Matters in Maine minute, Carroll Conley tells how one church is fighting taxtion by the town of Rockland with the help of the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Civic League.

Ben Bull at Townhall: Efforts are currently underway in Spain to criminally prosecute Catholic Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Plà of the diocese of Alcalá de Henares. It seems he had the audacity to deliver a homily from the Bible during a Good Friday mass extolling the virtues of the sinless life. And as bad as this was—reading aloud from the Bible on Good Friday and all—everything he did was acceptable until he included “homosexual behavior” as one of the sins to be avoided.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have reached a settlement with the Dysart Unified School District that will allow a Christian club to once again distribute fliers that promote their group’s activities to students.

One News Now: “Students of all shapes, sizes and types all face bullying,” Cortman notes. “The glaring question is why does this bill only protect students regarding bullying as it pertains to their sexual orientation?” . . . “The problem is that the president shouldn’t be politicizing the issue of bullying solely to benefit those wishing to indoctrinate children regarding homosexual behavior,” the ADF attorney contends. “These [types] of policies should broadly prohibit bullying against all students, regardless of the reason for the bullying.” [more]

WCSH6.com: Lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund say they filed a complaint in Knox County Superior Court this week on behalf of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

ProLife Blogs: The bill is based on model legislation developed by the SBA List and the Alliance Defense Fund, and prioritizes family planning funds away from abortion-centered businesses like Planned Parenthood to entities that provide women with comprehensive health care.

Victor Kostov at the Christian Post: Totalitarian thinking still permeates much of the societal structure in Bulgaria, a post-communist democracy and a member of the European Union since 2007. This attitude is especially visible in the latest legislative attempt at policies against the family | Viktor Kostov, PhD, is a Bulgarian-based missiologist and lawyer who heads Freedom for All Advocates. He is an Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney working to defend the rights to freedom of religion and speech.

Religion Clause Blog: At issue, according to a release from Alliance Defense Fund, is a decision by the city of Rockland to grant a local church a tax exemption only for its building and not for the parsonage it owns or for its parking lot.

ADF files lawsuit to challenge tax assessed against church but not other charitable groups

One News Now: ADF attorney Greg Baylor says it is ironic that those challenging the parental choice program claim religious freedom is on their side, when just the opposite is true. “It would be discrimination against religion to say parents can redeem their vouchers at public schools or secular private schools, but not at private religious schools,” he submits. “We think that our position — that it’s permissible to include the religious schools in the program — is actually far more consistent with the basic principles of religious freedom than the position taken by those challenging the program.”

Christian Post: Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, also believes the law is unconstitutional. He told CP in an emailed statement that Hutchinson appears to want to “force churches back into their own four walls.” “It is the church that decides what is acceptable for itself under its religious doctrine and it is not the government’s role to force a church to violate that doctrine,” he said. “This ordinance should never pass because it is unconstitutional. But if it does and Hutchinson attempts to force churches to violate their religious beliefs, ADF will not hesitate to use the legal process to protect the constitutional rights of churches.”

Steve Aden at Life News: Barack Obama enjoyed the robust support of Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby throughout his campaign for president. As president, he has . . .

Bangor Daily News: The lawsuit on behalf of Aldersgate United Methodist Church was filed Monday in Knox County Superior Court. The church is being represented by attorney Stephen Whiting of Portland as well as Joel Oster from the Alliance Defense Fund of Leawood, Kan. The Alliance Defense Fund states on its website that it is a legal alliance to defend religious freedom.