Profiles of 15 Leading Anti-Choice Organizations

P.O. Box 1350
Stafford, VA 22555
(540) 659-4171
http://www.all.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $7,365,884

History

Founded on April 1, 1979, by five families, including that of the current president, Judie Brown. Brown had previously worked for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). When the NRLC president was forced from office, Brown organized ALL with the financial support of a contact from NRLC.

Leadership
Judie Brown, president and founder. A practicing Catholic, she is married to Paul A. Brown. They have been involved in the anti-choice movement since 1969.

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

ALL is opposed to

• abortion
• cloning
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• contraception
• federal funding for family planning
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• homosexuality
• international family planning
• living wills
• organ donation
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• reproductive technology — artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization
• right to die
• welfare reform

ALL supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• fasting
• Human Life Amendment
• natural family planning within marriage
• parental notification laws

Methodology

• conventions/meetings — training sessions and seminars
• crisis pregnancy counseling/centers
• frivolous malpractice suits against abortion providers
• harassment and intimidation of clinic clients and employees
• leafleting students with misinformation and other anti-choice propaganda
• litigation ­— ALL challenged the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) on First Amendment grounds, but lost its suit
• lobbying
• outreach programs for youth
• prayer and worship demonstrations
• campaigns — ALL falsely claims that emergency contraception, the Pill, Depo-Provera, and Norplant are unsafe abortifacients and abortion causes breast cancer and severe psychological trauma
• publications — All Good News (bimonthly newsletter), Celebrate Life (bimonthly magazine), Communiqué (periodic newsletter), Reality Check (monthly newsletter)
• "sidewalk counseling" — harassment of clients at women's health clinics speakers' bureau

ALL also has several divisions that work to further their anti-choice mission, including

• American Bioethics Advisory Commission evaluates biomedical technology. It has deemed in vitro fertilization, cloning, and stem cell and fetal tissue research "unethical" based on anti-choice ideology.
• Dentists for Life is a group that mobilizes dentists to fight against the continued legalization and availability of abortion. All members vow to organize at least one protest or other anti-choice activity in their community.
• Rachel's Vineyard is a program that holds retreats for women and men to deal with the alleged shame and fear of abortion.
• STOPP (Stop Planned Parenthood), led by Jim Sedlak, is devoted solely to opposing the programs, services, and presence of Planned Parenthood in communities nationwide.
• Why Life? is the youth outreach division of ALL. Some of its activities include protesting clinics, disseminating misinformation brochures, and boycotting pro-choice businesses and rock bands. It also includes Rock for Life, which uses music and the promotion of anti-choice bands to promote its mission.
• World Life League, led by Mark DeYoung, which works to limit women's access to abortion worldwide by supporting anti-choice organizations in other countries and by seeking to influence international policy by lobbying the United Nations.

Sources

American Life League website. (2000, accessed June 20).
http://www.all.org.

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Contemporary Newsmakers 1986. (1987). Detroit, MI: Gale Research.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Americans United for Life (AUL)

310 South Peoria Street, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60607-3534
(312) 492-7234
www.unitedforlife.org
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $969,628

History

AUL was founded in 1971, making it America's oldest anti-abortion organization.

Leadership
Peter A. Samuelson, president

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

AUL is opposed to

• abortion
• right to die

AUL supports

• abortion bans
• mandatory waiting periods for women seeking abortions
• parental notification laws
• prohibition of funding for abortion for Medicaid recipients
• restrictive, unnecessary regulations on abortion clinics that place great financial strains on clinics
• "Right to Know" laws that push alternatives to abortion on women with anti-choice misinformation about the alleged physical and psychological risks of the procedure
• Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which would make it a federal crime to harm a fetus in the process of committing any of 68 federal crimes (because the language of the act is broad and vague, it could be used to threaten access to abortion)

Methodology

• conventions/meetings — the "AUL Legislators Educational Conference" was held to promote anti-choice messages to state and national leaders
• litigation — AUL has filed amicus curae briefs in nearly all abortion cases that have come before the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as many other abortion cases around the country
• lobbying and legislation — AUL has a 50-state network of anti-choice legislators who draft bills designed to whittle away at the rights guaranteed to women under Roe v. Wade
• public misinformation campaigns — AUL falsely claims that abortion causes breast cancer
• publications — AUL Forum (newsletter) and Abortion and the Constitution: Reversing Roe v. Wade Through the Courts (book)

Sources

Americans United for Life website. (2001, accessed March 12). http://www.unitedforlife.org.

"Anti-Abortion Attorneys: From Religious Groups to Firms Nationwide." (1992, November 30). The National Law Journal, p. 37.

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2001, accessed March 12). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Schroedel, Jean Reith. (2000). Is the Fetus a Person? A Comparison of Policies across the Fifty States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Christian Coalition

1801-L Sara Drive
Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 424-2630
http://www.cc.org/
Annual Income as of 2004 — $11,404,613

History

Founded in 1989 by the Reverend Pat Robertson. Televangelist and ordained Southern Baptist minister, Robertson is also the founder and chairman of the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN).

Leadership
Roberta Combs, president.

Tax-exempt category
The Christian Coalition of America holds a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status, and the Christian Coalition International is a not-for-profit, taxable organization.

Christian Coalition is opposed to

• abortion
• Buddhism
• campaign finance reform
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• feminism
• Hinduism
• homosexuality
• legalized gambling
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
• New Age
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• pornography
• separation of church and state

Christian Coalition supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• home schooling
• school prayer
• theocracy — one of Robertson's strategic goals is the establishment of a "Christian Nation"

Methodology

• action alerts, "get-out-the-vote" mailings, and phone calls
• conventions/meetings — activist training seminars and conferences
• lobbying
• publications — Christian American (bimonthly newsletter)
• voter guides and scorecards promoting conservative candidates

Sources

Anderson, Curt. (1999, June 11). "Christian Coalition Adjusting to Tax Status; IRS Refusal Fuels Reorganization." The Boston Globe, p. A3.

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed October 3). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Belkin, Douglas. (2000, June 30). "A Whole New Twist on 'Just Say No'." Cox News Service.

Christian Broadcast Network website. (2000, accessed June 21). http://www.cbn.org.

Christian Coalition website. (2000, accessed June 20).
http://www.cc.org.

Clarkson, Frederick. (1994). "Moderation in Pursuit of Extremism: Pat Robertson and the Spin Doctors." Front Lines Research, 1(3).

People for the American Way website. (2001, accessed September 21).
http://www.pfaw.org/issues/right/bg_cc.shtml

Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Concerned Women for America (CWA)

1015 Fifteenth Street N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 488-7000
www.cwfa.org
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $11,383,635

History

Founded by Beverly LaHaye in 1979 to counter the activities of the National Organization for Women (NOW), particularly NOW's support for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and to promote traditional, Judeo-Christian values. LaHaye dropped out of Christian fundamentalist Bob Jones University to marry Rev. Tim LaHaye, co-founder of the Moral Majority. LaHaye currently hosts a daily, syndicated, radio talk show, Beverly LaHaye Today.

Leadership
Sandy Rios, president

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

CWA is opposed to

• abortion
• atheism
• Beijing+5/ Cairo+5 (women's rights conferences and declarations)
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• drug and alcohol education
• equal pay for equal work legislation
• Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
• federal funding for child care
• feminism
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• gays in the military
• hate crime legislation
• homosexuality
• insurance coverage of contraception
• international family planning
• Medicare
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• right to die
• separation of church and state
• teacher unions
• Title X
• U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• universal health care
• women serving in the military

CWA supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• abstinence-only sexuality education
• creationism
• higher defense spending
• home schooling
• Nicaraguan contras
• Outcome Based Education and other non-traditional educational experiments
• parental notification laws
• privatization of Social Security
• school prayer
• state reporting of names of people with HIV to federal agencies

Methodology

• action alerts
• conventions/meetings — annual conference
• crisis pregnancy counseling/centers
• grassroots organizing
• lobbying — Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, a 501(c)(4) organization (annual income — $884,117)
• public misinformation campaigns — CWA falsely claims that abortion causes breast cancer and severe psychological trauma, and the IUD, Norplant, Depo-Provera, and the Pill are abortifacients
• publications — Family Voice (11/year magazine)
• radio and television programming
• "think-tank": the Beverly LaHaye Institute (BLI): A Center for Studies in Women's Issues
• voter registration drives

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed October 3). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Concerned Women for America website. (2000, accessed June 20).
http://www.cwfa.org.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

McCurdy, Claire. (1996). "Concerned Women for America: A Closer Look at Their 'Concerns.'" Front Lines Research, 2(1).

Melissa Data Corp website. (2001, accessed August 10).
http://melissadata.com/NP/np.asp

Melton, J. Gordon. (1999). Religious Leaders of America: A Biographical Guide to Founders and Leaders of Religious Bodies, Churches, and Spiritual Groups in North America, 2nd ed. Detroit,MI: Gale Group.

Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Eagle Forum

P.O. Box 618
Alton, IL 62002
(618) 462-5415
http://www.eagleforum.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $1,509,038

History

Founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972 as Stop ERA, and incorporated in 1975 as the Eagle Forum. The eagle possesses patriotic connotations and is also a biblical reference to Isaiah 40:31.

Leadership
Phyllis Schlafly, president and founder. Schlafly is also the Chairman for the Republican National Coalition for Life. She was married to the late Fred Schlafly, who was affiliated with the Christian Anti-Communist Crusade and led the World Anti-Communist League.

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(4)

Eagle Forum is opposed to

• abortion
• affirmative action
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) — Eagle Forum was instrumental in its defeat
• federal funding for child care
• federal spending on education/school-to- work programs
• feminism
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• gays in the military
• gun control
• hate crime legislation
• international treaties, conferences, and executive agreements including the U.N. treaties on the Rights of the Child and Women
• liberalism
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which authorizes funding for sexual assault and domestic violence prevention, including sexual assault prevention training for judges, battered women's services, state-based services for victims of domestic violence, and transitional housing for victims of domestic violence
• women in the military

Eagle Forum supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• English as the official language of the United States
• home schooling
• school prayer
• Strategic Defense Initiative

Methodology

• action alerts
• campus outreach — Eagle Forum Collegians
• litigation — Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund has filed amicus curae briefs in cases testing the constitutionality of the Violence Against Women Act and allowing homosexuals to participate in the Boy Scouts
• lobbying — Schlafly has testified before more than 50 Congressional and state legislative committees
• outreach programs for youth — Teen Eagles
• publications — Phyllis Schlafly Report (monthly newsletter), Schlafly's syndicated column appears in 100 newspapers
• radio programming — Schlafly's commentaries are aired daily on 460 stations, and her radio talk show is heard weekly on 40 stations

Sources

• Associations Unlimited [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.
• Eagle Forum Web site. (2000, accessed June 22).
  http://www.eagleforum.org/.
• GuideStar [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.
• Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Family Research Council (FRC)

801 G Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 393-2100
http://www.frc.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $9,176,729

History

Founded in 1983 by Gary L. Bauer. FRC merged with Focus on the Family from 1988-1992, then reorganized separately and incorporated in October 1992.

Leadership

Tony Perkins, president. Perkins has also served as a state representative in Louisiana where he was recognized as one of the leading conservative voices.

Tax-exempt category

501(c)(3)

FRC is opposed to

• abortion
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• contraception
• feminism
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• gays in the military
• hate crime legislation
• homosexuality
• funding international family planning programs
• needle exchange programs
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• pornography
• right to die
• separation of church and state
• welfare
• women in the military

FRC supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• anti-obscenity laws
• censorship
• HIV partner notification laws, national reporting and tracking of HIV, disclosure of HIV testing results to insurance companies
• home schooling
• parental notification laws
• school prayer

Methodology

• action alerts
• legislative hotline
• lobbying
• outreach programs for youth — i.e., Ideas & Energy for the Next Generation is a "webzine" to recruit young people to promote FRC's issues
• public misinformation campaigns — FRC falsely claims that condoms do not offer protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), that emergency contraception is an abortifacient, and that homosexuals are pedophiles
• public policy initiatives
• publications — Washington Watch

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Family Research Council's website. (2000, accessed June 22).
http://www.frc.org/.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Feminists for Life of America (FFL)

733 15th Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 737-3352
http://www.feministsforlife.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $547,842

History

Founded in 1972 by Catherine Callaghan and Pat Goltz. Callaghan is a retired professor of linguistics and Goltz is a former member of NOW, who left the group because of her anti-choice views.

Leadership
Serrin M. Foster, president

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

FFL is opposed to

• abortion
• capital punishment
• fetal tissue research
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• Pornography
• right to die

FFL supports

• abortion bans
• frivolous malpractice suits against abortion providers
• parental notification lwas
• "Right to Know" laws that push alternatives to abortion on women with anti-choice misinformation about the alleged physical and psychological risks of the procedure

Methodology

• campus outreach
• conventions/meetings — general assembly of state presidents and the board
• crisis pregnancy counseling/ centers
• public misinformation campaigns — FFL falsely claims that abortion causes breast cancer and severe psychological trauma
• publications — The American Feminist (quarterly newsletter), Profile Feminism: Different Voices (book), booklets, position papers
• speakers bureau

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Feminists for Life of America website. (2000, accessed July 26). http://www.feministsforlife.org.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Jones, Colleen. (2000). "The Price of Body Parts." American Feminist, 7(2).

Focus on the Family

Colorado Springs, CO 80995
800-232-6459
http://www.fotf.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $127,974,380

History

Founded in 1977 by James C. Dobson to "cooperate with the Holy Spirit in disseminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, and, specifically, to accomplish that objective by helping to preserve traditional values and the institution of the family." Dobson continues to serve as Chairman of the Board on the Focus on the Family Board of Directors.

Leadership
Don Hodel, president and CEO. Hodel served under President Reagan as the U.S. Secretary of Energy, the U.S. Under Secretary of the Interior, and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. He was also the president of the Christian Coalition from 1997-99. Hodel has served on the Focus on the Family Board of Directors since 1995.

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

Focus on the Family is opposed to

• abortion
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• gambling
• homosexuality
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• pornography
• right to die

Focus on the Family supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• abstinence-only sexuality education
• "defense of marriage" legislation (anti-gay marriage)
• school prayer

Methodology

• "Community Impact Committees" that work through local religious leaders to coordinate "pro-family" efforts
• crisis pregnancy counseling/centers
• international work — Focus on the Family has associate offices in 15 countries; its radio programs are broadcast in more than 90 countries; its publications have been translated into 26 languages
• lobbying
• "ministries" — 74 programs, projects, and outreaches including 14 television and radio programs such as Dobson's daily radio broadcast that airs on over 4,000 facilities in more than 70 countries, and various books, films, and videos, many of which are targeted at specific audiences
• publications — 11 magazines with circulation of more than 2.3 million per month, including Boundless (webzine for college students), Breakaway (magazine for teen boys), Brio (magazine for teen girls), Focus on the Family Citizen (monthly newsmagazine), Clubhouse (magazine for eight-to-12-year olds), Clubhouse Jr. (magazine for four-to-eight-year olds), Focus on the Family (monthly magazine), Lifewise (for people ages 50 and older), Physician (magazine for physicians, medical professionals, and their families), Plugged In (for parents and youth leaders), and Teachers in Focus (for educators)

Sources

Focus on the Family website. (2000, accessed June 23). http://www.fotf.org.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Risen, James, and Judy L. Thomas. (1998). The Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War. New York, NY: BasicBooks.

Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Human Life International (HLI)

4 Family Life Lane
Front Royal, VA 22630
(540) 635-7884
http://www.hli.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $2,868,492
"Defending Life, Faith and Family around the World"

History

Founded in 1981 by Fr. Paul Marx. In 1980, Marx was ousted from the Human Life Center he had founded at Minnesota's St. John's University and Abbey in 1972.

Leadership
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president, along with Fr. Marx, Fr. Matthew Habiger, and Fr. George Parker.

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

HLI is opposed to

• abortion
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• contraception
• feminism
• homosexuality
• international family planning
• liberal dissent movement within the church
• New Age
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• pornography
• right to die
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• voluntary sterilization

HLI supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• parental notification laws
• theocracy

Methodology

• boycotts
• clinic blockades
• conventions/meetings — periodic conferences, annual symposium
• harassment and intimidation of clinic clients and employees — members of HLI have pretended to take photographs of people entering clinics
• international work — HLI has 53 branch offices in 39 countries on six continents: its Population Research Institute fights UN efforts to control population growth
• leafleting students with misinformation and other anti-choice propaganda, including the graphic "Freedom of Choice?" post card featuring the mutilated head of a fetus held over a petri dish
• misinformation campaigns featuring films such as The Silent Scream and Eclipse of Reason
• outreach programs for youth — Next Generation
• outreach programs for minorities — African-Americans (Pierre Toussaint Project) and Latinos (Latinos for Life)
• public misinformation campaigns — HLI falsely claims that contraception is an abortifacient and results in infertility and that abortion causes severe psychological trauma and breast cancer
• publications — HLI Reports (monthly newsletter), Escoge la Vida (quarterly Spanish newsletter), Call to Action or Call to Apostasy? (book), The Facts of Life (book), and Faithful for Life (book).
• "sidewalk counseling" — harassment of clients at women's health clinics

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Branan, Karen, and Frederick Clarkson. (1994). "Extremism in Sheep's Clothing: A Special Report on Human Life International." Front Lines Research, 1(1).

DuBowski, Sandi. (1995). "Human Life International: Promoting Uncivilization." Front Lines Research, 1(5).

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Human Life International website. (2000, accessed June 26). http://www.hli.org.

Wilcox, Derk Arend, ed. (1997). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative and Right-of-Center Organizations, 3rd ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.

Life Dynamics Incorporated (LDI)

P.O. Box 2226
Denton, TX 76202
(940) 380-8800
http://www.ldi.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $1,115,258
"Without Compromise, Without Exception, Without Apology"

History
Founded in 1992 by Mark Crutcher, a former car dealer and motorcycle racer. Crutcher dedicated himself to the anti-choice movement after his daughter's death, which was unrelated to abortion.

Leadership
Mark Crutcher, president and founder

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

LDI is opposed to

• abortion
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

LDI supports

• abortion bans

Methodology

• direct mail — LDI aims to send out 100,000 pieces to the medical community four times a year to "reinforce the stigma attached with abortion"
• encouraging clinic employees to file tax report evasion claims to the IRS with the lure of a potential reward
• espionage — use of 4,000 "spies for life" to research clinics and physicians — LDI paid one spy $21,000 over two and a half years to infiltrate companies and clinics that provide or obtain fetal tissue for medical research and also secretly recorded security meetings of the National Abortion Federation (NAF)
• frivolous malpractice suits against abortion providers — Crutcher claims to have recruited 600 lawyers and 500 "expert" witnesses to help him "force abortionists out of business by driving up their insurance rates"
• harassment and intimidation of clinic clients and employees as well as medical students — LDI published a booklet of crude and sadistic jokes and cartoons about abortion providers and mailed it to half of the medical students in America
• misrepresentation under the guise of an abortion rights advocacy group called "Project Choice," LDI surveyed abortion providers about their personal fears and misgivings and released the findings to the media
• public misinformation campaigns — LDI falsely claims that abortion providers rape and sexually assault their clients, that abortion causes severe psychological trauma to women and providers, and that obstetricians use abortion to "cover up their mistakes"
• publications — Life Talk (video talk show), Lime 5: Exploited by A Choice (book), Firestorm: Guerrilla Manual to Create a Prolife America (book)

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Ballard, Mark. (1996, April 22). "The New Abortion Front." Texas Lawyer, p. 1.

Bensman, Todd. (2000, March 21). "Anti-abortion Group's Tactics Draw Scrutiny." The Dallas Morning News, p. 17A.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Life Dynamics Incorporated website. (2000, accessed June 27). http://www.ldi.org.

Missionaries to the Preborn

P.O. Box 26931
Milwaukee, WI 53226
(414) 462-3399
http://www.missionariestopreborn.com/
Current Annual Income Unavailable

History

Missionaries to the Preborn started as a branch of Operation Rescue and was renamed in 1990. It was founded by Rev. Matt Trewhella, who has been among protesters convicted of arson, disorderly conduct, and trespassing. He also signed the "Justifiable Homicide" declaration, although he claims to have since removed his name. Trewhella has been investigated by the FBI as a possible conspirator in a campaign of clinic violence. He and his followers have distributed pro-gun leaflets and fliers shaped like bullets at Milwaukee area schools. While many anti-choice groups condemned the 1993 murder of Dr. David Gunn, Missionaries to the Preborn said that it "will not lament" his death.

Leadership
Rev. Matt Trewhella, leader and founder

Missionaries to the Preborn is opposed to

• abortion
• contraception
• gun control
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

Missionaries to the Preborn supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• church-based paramilitary training
• civil disobedience

Methodology

• boycotts of corporations that support Planned Parenthood
• clinic blockades
• harassment of clinic clients and employees — Missionaries to the Preborn has trapped a physician in his home and picketed the soccer game of another's son
• PAC — established with other anti-choice groups
• picketing — Missionaries to the Preborn holds nationwide "Freedom Tours," anti-choice demonstrations in high-traffic areas using graphic visuals of fetuses
• public misinformation campaigns — Missionaries to the Preborn falsely claims that the Pill, the IUD, Norplant, and Depo-Provera are abortifacients; the Pill causes infertility, cervical and breast cancer

Sources

Brogan, Pat. (2000, June 20). Memorandum.

Goetz, John. (1994). "Missionaries' Leader Calls for Armed Militias." Front Lines Research, 1(2).

"Inside the Anti-Abortion Underground." (1994, August 29). Newsweek, p. 28.

Johnson, Mike. (1999, September 23). "Church Gives Out Pro-Gun Fliers at Waukesha School." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, p. 1.

Missionaries to the Preborn website. (2000, accessed October 3).
http://www.missionariestopreborn.com.

Pro-Life Action League. (2001, accessed February 16). "Bio: Matthew Trewhella."
http://www.prolifeaction.org/matthew_trewhella.htm.

Weintraub, Larry. (1993, March 11). "2 Sides Here Decry Slaying; One Anti-Abortion Group Says It 'Will Not Lament' Shooting." Chicago Sun-Times, p. 10.

"Wisconsin: High Court Upholds Suspending Driver's Licenses." (1995, June 13). Abortion Report.

National Right to Life Committee (NRLC)

512 10th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 626-8800
http://www.nrlc.org/
Annual Income as of January 2001 — $13,757,195

History

Founded in 1972 by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB). Beginning in the 1960s, NCCB urged local bishops to form anti-choice groups at the state level, which were then unified under the NRLC. In order to legally engage in political lobbying against abortion rights, the NRLC separated from the church after the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade.

Leadership
Wanda Franz, president

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(4) and a 501(c)(3) National Right to Life Committee Educational Trust Fund (annual income — $3,227,301)

The NRLC is opposed to

• abortion
• Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• funding the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• managed care health insurance plans
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• right to die

The NRLC supports

• abortion bans
• Born Alive Infants Protection Act
• Child Custody Protection Act, which would make it a federal crime for any adult to travel with a teenager across state lines to obtain an abortion if they circumvent the parental notification laws in the teenager's home state
• Global Gag Rule
• parental notification laws
• Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which would make it a federal crime to harm a fetus in the process of committing any of 68 federal crimes (because the language of the act is broad and vague, it could be used to threaten access to abortion)

Methodology

• action alerts
• boycotts — NRLC staged an international boycott against the manufacturers of the abortifacient drug mifepristone
• conventions/meetings — National Right to Life convention
• international work — the International Right to Life Federation (IRLF), the largest international, anti-choice coalition, was launched in 1973 and has contacts in 44 countries
• lobbying and legislation — NRLC works at the legislative level to chip away at abortion rights through lobbying, voters' guides, aid to anti-choice candidates. In December 1999, Fortune magazine ranked NRLC No. 8 among the most influential public policy groups in Washington, DC
• public misinformation campaigns — NRLC makes false claims about the safety of abortion and purports that it causes breast cancer and severe psychological trauma
• publications — National Right to Life News (18/year newspaper) and other books, pamphlets, brochures, and audiovisual materials speakers' bureau

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Balch, Burke. (1995, September 15). "Medicare Reopened." The New York Times, p. 35.

Hutson, Jonathan J. (1994). "Cash, Clout, and Clergy: Bishop McHugh and the National Right to Life Committee." Front Lines Research, 1(3).

National Right to Life Committee website. (2000, accessed June 27). http://www.nrlc.org.

Risen, James, and Judy L. Thomas. (1998). The Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War. New York, NY: BasicBooks.

Operation Save America (formerly known as Operation Rescue)

P.O. Box 740066
Dallas, TX 75374
(972) 494-5316
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/
Current Annual Income Unavailable

History

Operation Rescue was founded in 1988 by Randall Terry, protégé of Joseph Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League. The original Operation Rescue was intended to be a series of protests in three major cities during the 1988 presidential race, but it quickly grew into clinic blockades resulting in more than 50,000 arrests across the nation. After over a decade of high-profile harassment and blockades, Operation Rescue began to decline when internal conflict resulted in Terry's gutting of the organization's leadership. Rev. Flip Benham assumed leadership in 1994, but the group has failed to regain its prominence.

Leadership
Rev. Flip Benham, director, former saloon owner. Benham has been jailed in numerous states for his harassing and obstructive demonstrations.

Operation Save America is opposed to

• abortion
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• feminism
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• homosexuality
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

Operation Save America supports

• abortion bans
• capital punishment
• civil disobedience
• corporal punishment
• militant activism
• patriarchy
• school prayer
• "Biblical slavery" (as restitution for crime or debt reduction)
• theocracy

Methodology

• clinic blockades resulting in more than 50,000 arrests of participants (These "rescues" have abated largely due to fear of prosecution under FACE, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.)
• compares the right to choose abortion with the horrors of the Holocaust
• harassment and intimidation of clinic clients and employees
• leafleting students with misinformation and other anti-choice propaganda
• misrepresentation — group members have posed as patients to gain access to clinics and have befriended children of clinic employees to "counsel" them about their parents' work
• picketing at clinics and homes of clinic employees
• "sidewalk counseling" — harassment of clients at women's health clinics

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

Candelario, Rosemary. (1999, July 31). "'Saving America' for Whom? From What? Notes on a Journey to Buffalo and the Evolution of Operation Rescue." Sojourner: The Women's Health Forum, 24(11), 9.

Goetz, John. (1994). "Randall Terry and the U.S. Taxpayers Party." Front Lines Research, 1(2).

Hutson, Jonathan J. (1995). "Blast from the Past: The Genesis of Operation Rescue (Part I)." Front Lines Research, 1(4).

_____. (1995). "Operation Rescue Founder Predicts Armed Conflict (Part II)." Front Lines Research, 1(5).

Lerner, Sharon. (1999, May 4). "The Circus Comes to Buffalo." The Village Voice, p. 52.

"Operation Rescue Leader Steps Down, Headquarters Moving to Dallas." (1994, February 9). The Associated Press.

Operation Save America website. (2000, accessed June 28).
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org.

Risen, James, and Judy L. Thomas. (1998). The Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War. New York, NY: BasicBooks.

Pro-Life Action League (PLAL)

6160 N. Cicero Ave. Suite 600
Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 777-2900
http://www.prolifeaction.org/
Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $728,021
"Because Action Speaks Louder Than Words"

History

Founded by Joseph Scheidler in 1980 "with the aim of saving babies' lives through nonviolent direct action." PLAL was born when Scheidler convinced a small group of dissenters from the National Right to Life Committee to form their own group that supported more aggressive action.

Leadership

Joseph Scheidler, executive director and founder. Scheidler, the "Green Beret of the pro-life movement," has been received and blessed by the Pope for his anti-choice work on numerous occasions. In 1998, a federal court jury found Scheidler liable for more than $257,000 in damages for his participation in a series of illegal activities against abortion providers and facilities, including

• 21 violations of the federal Hobbs Act
• 25 violations of state laws against extortion
• four acts of physical violence or threats of physical violence
• 25 acts of conspiracy to violate state or federal extortion laws
• 23 violations of the federal Travel Act
• 23 attempts to commit one of these crimes

The jury verdict was subsequently vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tax-exempt category
501(c)(3)

Pro-Life Action League is opposed to

• abortion
• birth control pills, Norplant^®, Depo-Provera^® and emergency contraception
• fetal tissue/stem cell research
• National Organization for Women (NOW)
• Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

Pro-Life Action League supports

• abortion bans
• abstinence until marriage
• childbearing as a form of healing for women who become pregnant as a result of rape or incest
• mandatory waiting periods before abortion
• parental notification laws
• prohibition of funding for abortion for Medicaid recipients and military personnel
• "Right to Know" laws that push alternatives to abortion on women with anti-choice misinformation about the alleged physical and psychological risks of the procedure
• theocracy — "re-Christianization" of America

Methodology

• billboard campaigns in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Milwaukee
• clinic blockades — PLAL boasts it has closed eight clinics in Chicago and nearly 100 across the country
• coalition formation — the Pro-Life Action Network (PLAN) is a communications and organizing hub for anti-choice groups
• conventions/meetings — annual Meet the Abortion Providers conference (in which former providers speak out against abortion), seminars and workshops for community organizations and anti-choice activists
• crisis pregnancy counseling/centers
• espionage — advocates posing as workers to steal information from pro-choice organizations and clinics
• harassment and intimidation of clinic clients and employees
• picketing at clinics and at homes of clinic employees
• prayer and worship demonstrations
• public misinformation campaigns — PLAL falsely claims that abortion causes breast cancer and severe psychological trauma, that the pill, Norplant, and Depo-Provera are abortifacients, and that abortion is more dangerous than childbirth
• publications — Action News (quarterly newspaper), Pro-Life Action News (quarterly newsletter), Closed: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion (book), Abortion: The Inside Story (video), Meet the Abortion Providers (video)
• "sidewalk counseling" — harassment of clients at women's health clinics
• stalking

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2000, accessed July 20). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

"Chicago Jury Finds Anti-Abortion Protestors Liable Under RICO." (1998, April 27). Liability Week, 17(12).

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

Hutson, Jonathan J. (1995). "Blast from the Past: The Genesis of Operation Rescue (Part I)." Front Lines Research, 1(4).

Nevans-Pederson, Mary. (2000, April 29). "Speaker Works on Many Fronts to End Abortion." Telegraph-Herald, p. A3.

National Organization for Women v. Scheidler, 267 F.3d 687, 695 (7th Cir 2001).

National Organization for Women v. Scheidler (“Scheidler I”), 510 U.S. 249 (1994).  [Online].  http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=510&page=249.

Scheidler v. National Organization for Women (“Scheidler II”), 537 U.S. 393 (2003).  [Online].  http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=537&page=393.

Pro-Life Action League website. (2000, accessed June 29).
www.prolifeaction.org

Risen, James, and Judy L. Thomas. (1998). The Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War. New York, NY: BasicBooks.

STOPP International, aka STOPP Planned Parenthood

(Part of the American Life League (ALL))

P.O. Box 1350
Stafford, VA 22555
(540) 659-4171
www.all.org/stopp
ALL Annual Income for Fiscal Year 2003 — $7,365,884
No income information is available for STOPP

History

STOPP was originally conceived in 1985 and took its current form as STOPP International in 1994. It currently has 32 local groups and is a project of the American Life League (ALL).

Leadership

James W. Sedlak, M.S., is the founder and executive director. The national director, Edward E. Szymkowiak, M.S.Ed, was vice president of Delaware County Right to Life before he joined STOPP. Szymkowiak left STOPP in September 2004 to teach at a Catholic school in Virginia, and a new national director has yet to be named.

Tax-exempt category

ALL is a 501(c)(3). No tax information is available for STOPP itself.

STOPP is opposed to

• abortion
• comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• hormonal birth control (birth control pills, Norplant, Depo-Provera, emergency contraception, etc.)
• humanism
• Planned Parenthood
• Secularism

STOPP supports

• abstinence until marriage
• no-exception abortion bans
• fertility awareness-based methods of contraception (within marriage)
• spreading Christian gospel

Methodology

• "educational" programs and conferences about opposing Planned Parenthood.
• harrassment of local business especially "construction companies, landlords, real estate offices, insurance companies, and local hospitals" including compilation and publication of lists of businesses that will and will not boycott local Planned Parenthood facilities
• large mobile signs with anti-Planned Parenthood messages
• lobbying of local politicians and health officials to prevent Planned Parenthood facilities from opening and to pressure local government into refusing public funds to Planned Parenthood groups, including night-time phone calls to the homes and residences of politicians
• organizing local clergy to pass resolutions opposing Planned Parenthood
• petitions
• picketing of Planned Parenthood facilities and local schools that provide comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education
• pressuring Girl Scout Groups affiliated with Planned Parenthood to disavow it
• public misinformation campaigns aimed at local communities, parents, and school officials about Planned Parenthood's comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education; Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger; hormonal birth control (STOPP and ALL falsely claim that hormonal birth control methods are abortifacients)
• publications — Parent Power! How Parents Can Gain Control of the School Systems that Educate Their Children (book); The Ryan Report (monthly international newsletter); local newsletters
• rallies and information sessions
• speaker's bureau
• us of the Freedom of Information Law to obtain information on school sexuality education curriculums, government funding of Planned Parenthood, and publication of Planned Parenthood affiliate finances

Sources

Associations Unlimited. [Online]. (2004, accessed September). The Gale Group. Available: GaleNet.

GuideStar. [Online]. (2005, accessed January 11). Philanthropic Research Inc. Williamsburg, VA: GuideStar.

STOPP website. (2002, accessed September 2004). www.all.org/stopp

Lead Author — Deborah Weiss
Revised by — Deborah Golub, MPH

Published: 01.03.05 | Updated: 10.04.07

Published by the Katharine Dexter McCormick Library

©2005 Planned Parenthood^® Federation of America, Inc.
All rights reserved.


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