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American Life League

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American Life League, Inc.
SuccessorLife Amendment PAC
American Life Lobby
FoundedApril 1, 1979 (1979-04-01)
EIN: 52-1238301
FocusReproductive Health
Location
Area served
United States
Productsbooklets
pamphets
other printed materials [1]
Key people
Judith "Judie" A. Brown,
President
Patrick Murphy
Treasurer/Secretary
Hugh Richard Brown III
Director
Dr. Phillipe Schepens, M.D.
Director
Revenue
$5,022,739 (2012)
Expenses$4,991,338 (2012)
WebsiteAll.org

American Life League, Inc. (ALL) is an American Catholic grassroots pro-life organization. The group opposes abortion under any circumstance and opposes all forms of contraception, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia. ALL has a no-exceptions, no-compromise position. Its current president is cofounder Judie Brown and its headquarters is in Stafford, Virginia.

Projects and resources

American Life League sponsors several projects, including:

  • Celebrate Life Magazine[1] is a bi-monthly 32-page magazine dedicated to pro-life topics, including abortion, contraception, euthanasia, infertility and cloning.
  • Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church in which ALL seeks to persuade Catholics about its views on abortion, as well as expose pro-choice Catholic politicians who knowingly defy Church doctrine and statements by church officials, including Pope John Paul II, Mother Theresa, and Pope Benedict XVI. In 2004, ALL published a full-page advertisement in USA Today urging Catholic priests and bishops to deny Communion to Catholic legislators who support abortion rights.[2] The League's slogan in this matter is "You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion."
  • STOPP Planned Parenthood International[3] is an organization developed to teach parents, grandparents, and school administrators about what Planned Parenthood discusses when it goes into schools.
  • American Life League Report[4] is a video series designed to inform people on pro-life topics.
  • ALL Speakers Bureau[5] lists the speakers who are available to travel to speak to specific groups about pro-life topics.
  • ALL Associate Program[6] is a network of organizations around the country and around the world who are "dedicated to the sacredness of human life."
  • Defund Planned Parenthood Action Center[7] includes a petition to sign stating that the signer does not want government funding going to Planned Parenthood. It also includes news and updates about Planned Parenthood.
  • The Pill Kills[8] discourages people from using contraceptive medication and explains what research has shown about its effects on a woman's body.
  • The American Life League site[9] provides visitors with pro-life resources and educational materials such as pamphlets and books.

History

American Life League was founded on April 1, 1979[10][11] by Judie Brown and nine other pro-life Americans after a schism with the National Right to Life Committee. Within less than a year of its founding, ALL had 68,000 members and received assistance founding ALL from Howard Phillips,[12] publicity from Heritage Foundation co-founder Paul Weyrich, and membership lists provided by right-wing direct mail specialist Richard Viguerie.[13]

Street tactics

ALL helped to establish the "rescue movement", which utilizes several tactics against abortion and related services. These tactics, adopted and popularized by ALL, include sidewalk counseling and offering abortion alternatives to abortion-seeking patients. According to Brown these activities are free speech, and in 1994 ALL filed suit to challenge the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. In American Life League v. Reno [2], ALL lost in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case.[2]

Disney boycotts

In March 1995, the American Life League boycotted the then-owners of Miramax, the Walt Disney Company over the film Priest, in which a Roman Catholic priest deals with a variety of issues including his own homosexuality. Subsequently, ALL charged that Disney had concealed subliminal sexual messages in the animated films The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. Disney denied all claims made by American Life League.[14] Snopes states the ALL claims about both Aladdin[15] and The Little Mermaid[16] are false. However, their claim about The Lion King is listed by the site as "undetermined".[17]

Spending

As of 2012, the non-profit charity evaluator Charity Navigator gives ALL a ranking of 2 out of 4 stars for financial accountability and transparency.[18] In 2005, ALL was on Charity Navigator's list of highest paid CEOs, with one-third of its income spent on fundraising and administrative expenses and $699,857 (almost 9% of it income) paid out to its CEOs.[19]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Pro-Life Organizations". About.com. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  2. ^ a b "American Life League". People For the American Way. 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-10-11. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
  3. ^ "STOPP". Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  4. ^ "ALL Report". Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  5. ^ "Speakers Bureau". Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  6. ^ "Associate Program". Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  7. ^ "Defund Planned Parenthood". Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  8. ^ "The Pill Kills". Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  9. ^ "pro-life gear and books". Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  10. ^ "Founded". Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  11. ^ http://www.clmagazine.org/article/index/id/MTM1NDE A saintly influence: Pope John Paul II's impact on American Life League—and me. Judie Brown. Celebrate Life Magazine.
  12. ^ Smith, Peter (May 6, 2013). "Catholics Bid Farewell to Pro-Life Lion Howard Phillips". National Catholic Register. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  13. ^ "Right Wing Watch - American Life League". People for the American Way. Wayback Machine. April 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2006. Retrieved July 2, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Smith, Leef (September 1, 1995). "Disney's Loin King? Group Sees Dirt in the Dust". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  15. ^ "Take Off Your Clothes!". Snopes. August 19, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  16. ^ "The Aroused Minister". Snopes. August 20, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  17. ^ "Sex in The Lion King". Snopes. August 19, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  18. ^ "American Life League". Charity Navigator. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  19. ^ "2007 CEO Compensation Study". Charity Navigator. 2007. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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