American Life League

One of the largest pro-life organizations in the United States, according to their website, American Life League, or ALL, opposes all forms of abortion, birth control, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia. Its current president is Judie Brown and its headquarters are in Stafford, Virginia. cite news| url=http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=3792| publisher=People For the American Way| title=American Life League| date=2006| accessdate=2006-10-17]

Mission

American Life League, which claims to have 300,000 members, aims to persuade Americans and Catholics about its views on abortion, birth control and euthanasia. ALL is involved with issues pertaining to the sanctity of life, with an emphasis on abortion. American Life League describes itself as "pro-life—without exception, without compromise, without apology." ALL's mission is to end all forms of abortion without any exceptions for the life and health of the woman, rape, incest, fetal abnormality, viability, or IVF. The following quotes [http://www.all.org/article.php?id=10216&search=life%20of%20the%20mother] are with the permission of the American Life League: When American Life League president Judie Brown said, "Abortion is never necessary to save a mother's life," she meant "direct abortion, which is the intentional and willed destruction of a preborn child. Operations that are performed to save the life of the mother-such as the removal of a cancerous uterus or an ectopic pregnancy that poses the threat of imminent death-are considered indirect abortions.

"They are justified under a concept called the 'principle of double effect.' Under this principle, the death of the child is an unintended effect of an operation independently justified by the necessity of saving the mother's life.

"Essentially, both mother and child should be treated as patients. A doctor should try to protect both. However, in the course of treating a woman, if her child dies, that is not considered abortion.

" 'Today it is possible for almost any patient to be brought through pregnancy alive, unless she suffers from a fatal disease such as cancer or leukemia, and if so, abortion would be unlikely to prolong, much less save the life of the mother.'-Alan Guttmacher, former Planned Parenthood president

Projects

American Life League sponsors several projects, including:
*"Celebrate Life" magazine [http://www.clmagazine.org] cite news| url=http://womensissues.about.com/od/reproductiverights/tp/ProLifeOrgs.htm| publisher=About.com| title=Pro-Life Organizations| accessdate=2007-04-29]
*Crusade for Life in which pro-lifers travel about the country and give speeches in parishes.
*Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church [http://www.all.org/crusade] in which ALL seeks to inform Catholics about the Church's 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. The League's slogan in this matter is "You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion."
*National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day is an annual event typically during April when pro-lifers are encouraged to wear a t-shirt that carries a pro-life message.
*Pro-Life Memorial Day [http://www.prolifememorialday.com] falls on the first Monday of October, intentionally coinciding with the beginning of the US Supreme Court's fall term.
*Rock for Life [http://www.rockforlife.org] is the largest pro-life organization in America geared towards young people. Rock for Life's aim is to harness the popularity of rock music to spread its pro-life message. In doing this, Rock for Life supports pro-life musicians, distributes pro-life literature, and pickets at abortion businesses.
*STOPP International is ALL's plan for shutting down Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in America. Part of STOPP is the Ryan Report.

Controversy

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" [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=4th&navby=case&no=941869P] , ALL lost in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

In the mid-1990s, the American Life League boycotted 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 a number of its animated films, including "The Lion King", "The Little Mermaid", and "Aladdin". Disney denied all claims made by American Life League. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/flionking.htm Disney's Loin King? Group Sees Dirt in the Dust] , by Leef Smith. Published in the "Washington Post" on September 1 1995. Accessed April 30 2007.]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.all.org Official website]