Lawyers for Life
 |
|
| Abbreviation | AUL |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1971 |
| Purpose | Pro-Life advocacy |
| Location |
|
|
Region served
|
United States |
|
Acting President & CEO
|
Clarke Forsythe |
|
Budget
|
$4 million |
| Website | Americans United for Life |
Americans United for Life (AUL) is an American pro-life public interest law firm and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1971, the group advocates protection of human life at all stages of life, from conception to death, and is involved in the related issues of health and biotechnology. The organization has led campaigns and been involved in judicial actions to prevent the passage and implementation of legislation that permits abortion, or may increase prevalence of abortion, including successfully defending the Hyde Amendment in the U.S. Supreme Court. It also works to create and support legal protections for pregnant women from violence, for which it has drafted model legislation. AUL's other interests include bioethics, particularly regarding human cloning, embryo research and assisted reproductive technologies, and end-of-life issues including euthanasia and palliative care. AUL has campaigned for bans on provision in healthcare acts for funding of abortion.
AUL was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1971, two years prior to the nationwide legalization of abortion following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade. The organization's first chairman of the board was Unitarian minister and then-Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, George Huntston Williams. Initially the group was involved in the intellectual debate surrounding abortion, but in 1975 the founders reorganized it into a legal organization. One of the group's early areas of focus was on building a case to persuade the Supreme Court to overturn its 1973 ruling. In 1987 the group outlined their plan to overturn Roe v. Wade in a book titled Abortion and the Constitution: Reversing Roe v. Wade Through the Courts. AUL was inspired by efforts of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in its strategy to impact legislation. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization and public-interest law firm, with a specific interest in pro-life legislation. AUL's areas of legal interest include abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, stem cell research, and human cloning.
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