Michigan Trying to Force Pro-Life Group to Hire Abortion Supporters

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys will be available for media interviews following a federal district court hearing Monday in a lawsuit filed on behalf of two Michigan pro-life organizations challenging a state law that forces them to recruit and hire people who oppose their fundamental mission and to carry insurance benefits that include coverage for abortion. The hearing in part concerns the organizations’ request for a temporary order blocking the state from enforcing its law while the lawsuit moves forward.

Michigan amended its employment law to re-define “sex” discrimination to include “the termination of a pregnancy.” It is now illegal for Right to Life of Michigan and Pregnancy Resource Center to recruit and hire only those employees who share these organizations’ pro-life views and who agree to refrain from engaging in conduct contrary to those views. Going further, the law also requires these organizations to offer abortion coverage in their insurance plans in direct conflict with their very mission. As a result, the law threatens their ability to advocate for their pro-life views and to serve women and families in need consistent with their beliefs.

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“The government can’t force pro-life organizations to sabotage their own beliefs by requiring them to employ staff who endorse abortion—a decision that harms women and ends innocent lives,” said ADF Senior Counsel Bryan Neihart, who will argue before the court on behalf of the pro-life groups. “The First Amendment protects the right of these organizations to hire employees who can carry out and share the message of hope and joy associated with the gift of life. For these pro-life groups, the messenger matters. We are urging the court to uphold their constitutionally protected freedom to hire employees who share their views in word and deed so that they can express messages consistent with their beliefs.”

Right to Life of Michigan offers life-affirming education and advocates for pro-life policies across the state. Pregnancy Resource Center provides women with medical care, resources, and support structures to help them through their pregnancies. Both hire like-minded individuals who share their convictions about the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. They depend on their employees to promote their pro-life views to the public and to encourage other staff.

ADF attorneys note that both organizations have refrained from including their pro-life mission statements in job postings and have even received some applications from people who identified themselves as “pro-abortion.”