Defending Peaceful Pro-Lifers Against the DOJ

Defending pro-life advocates Paul Vaughn and Lauren Handy against the Biden DOJ

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Paul Vaughn, a pro-life father of 11, had his life turned upside down when FBI agents pounded on his door, guns raised, and hauled him away in front of his wife and kids without explanation. Long after Paul peacefully witnessed to the sanctity of life at a Nashville-area abortion facility, the Biden Department of Justice hit him with federal charges carrying over a decade in prison—for simply praying, singing hymns, and speaking with the police.

Lauren Handy’s life changed when she first saw a video that showed late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo admitting to allowing babies to be born alive and left to die. From that moment, she devoted herself to pro-life advocacy and exposing the abortion industry. For doing a ‘rescue’ at Santangelo’s Washington, D.C. abortion business, the Biden DOJ came after her with the full force of the United States government—trying to lock her up for 11 years in federal prison.

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For 30 years, the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act has been used as a cudgel against peaceful pro-life witness and ministry. But in the post-Roe era, the Biden DOJ has upped the stakes and weaponized the FACE Act beyond anything ever seen before—by tacking on felony conspiracy charges that maximize and multiply the potential prison time to more than a decade in jail.

In both Paul’s and Lauren’s cases, the Biden DOJ decided to unleash this unprecedented form of lawfare against pro-lifers. After Lauren was found guilty in August 2023 on the Biden DOJ’s “Conspiracy Against Rights” and FACE Act charges, she was immediately hauled out of court in chains and made a ‘prisoner of conscience.’ For peacefully protesting infanticide, Lauren was formally sentenced in May 2024 to 57 months in federal prison.

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“Because this is at the heart a spiritual battle, we are thankful to have a strong advocate in the Thomas More Society.”

—Paul Vaughn

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Despite clear evidence and testimony Paul was peaceful and law-abiding, he was found guilty in January 2024. Although the Biden DOJ pushed for crushing prison time, the judge sentenced Paul to three years of supervised released. Yet, Paul remains convicted on these weaponized and evidence-free charges—a peaceful pro-life father of 11 branded a felon by the DOJ.

Enough is enough: The FACE Act must go. Thomas More Society is preparing hard-hitting appeals on behalf of Paul, Lauren, and several of their co-defendants, challenging their unjust convictions and the constitutionality of the FACE Act, to make sure the DOJ can never again persecute and jail peaceful pro-lifers. With your urgent support, Thomas More Society will be able to fight this battle to stop the weaponization of the FACE Act—once and for all.

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Championing Those Who Protect the Vulnerable

Defending pregnancy centers against politically motivated persecution

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From coast to coast, pro-life pregnancy centers exist to compassionately serve women and their children at no cost—often supported by community donations and dedicated volunteers. By sharing information and providing life-affirming alternatives to abortion, pregnancy centers are on the frontlines of saving babies and helping mothers in need.

As the abortion pill skyrockets as the go-to method for the majority of abortions, Heartbeat International is pioneering access to Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) to give women a second chance at choosing life when they regret taking the first abortion pill. Thomas More Society is defending their right to continue this good work in the face of lawfare that aims to silence their lifesaving message.

In the post-Roe era, pregnancy centers and APR are needed now more than ever. But APR and the pregnancy centers that help women learn about this lifesaving care pose an existential threat to the abortion industry. That’s why the abortion industry’s allies in government are ramping up their attacks on pregnancy centers.

In April 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James declared a witch-hunt on pro-life pregnancy centers and blitzed a dozen of these pro-life ministries—including Thomas More Society clients Heartbeat International and CompassCare—with threat letters. Representing a coalition of a dozen pro-life organizations, Thomas More Society sprinted into action and preemptively sued Letitia James in Rochester, New York—to stop her attack in its tracks and to protect the lifesaving work of our pregnancy center clients.

James is trying to bankrupt New York’s pregnancy centers with costly, evidence-free lawfare, threatening ruinous fines and “compliance monitoring” that would be a death knell for these pro-life ministries. Moreover, James seeks to silence our pro-life pregnancy centers for helping women access APR—which she claims is “misinformation” and “false advertising.” The more than 4,500 babies alive today thanks to APR beg to differ.

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Thomas More Society is fighting back tooth and nail. But this is only the beginning, and the battlegrounds are quickly multiplying. James’ witch-hunt is a copycat lawsuit of California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s case against Heartbeat International in the Golden State, where Thomas More Society is likewise fighting to defend California’s pregnancy centers and their right to share information about APR.

Thomas More Society is at the forefront of defending pregnancy centers nationwide against the rising tide of lawfare being brought against them. With your support, we will diligently continue to defend these lifesaving ministries.

Ending “Parental Exclusion Policies” That Keep Parents in the Dark

Protecting parents’ rights in Mirabelli v. Olson

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Can you force a teacher to lie to parents about their children? That’s exactly what is happening in California classrooms, where school districts have implemented mandates to silence teachers and keep parents in the dark about their kids’ gender issues. Unfortunately, these policies pushed by radical gender ideologues have spilled out across the country and over 1,000 school districts across the country now have “Parental Exclusion Policies.”

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Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori West—two award-winning middle school teachers in Escondido, California—love teaching, and they love the children they teach. When their school district, Escondido Union School District (EUSD), put in place a Parental Exclusion Policy, Elizabeth and Lori were unwillingly drafted into being foot soldiers for gender ideology. As Christians, they believe that God created their precious students as male and female—immutably and without mistake. But under EUSD’s Parental Exclusion, they were forced to perpetuate a deeply immoral scheme of deception against parents with children who suffer from gender issues.

This meant that when a student requested that teachers and administration use a new name and pronouns that differed from their biological sex, as part of a ‘social transition’—and requested that teachers not reveal this information to their parents—teachers like Elizabeth and Lori were required to hide this vital information from the parents. EUSD’s Parental Exclusion Policy mandated that they lie to parents about what is going at school, by requiring that they revert to the student’s legal name and biological pronouns in conversations with parents to hide a child’s new ‘gender identity’ from his or her parents.

Faced with this horrendous violation of parents’ rights and danger to their students, Elizabeth and Lori could not stay silent. On behalf of Elizabeth and Lori, Thomas More Society filed a federal lawsuit against the California Department of Education and EUSD.

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“I knew that teachers were getting in trouble for speaking out... I was thinking, “OK, maybe I need some help.’ So, I sent out an email form to the Thomas More Society.”

—Elizabeth Mirabelli

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In September 2023, we won a first-of-its-kind court order against Parental Exclusion Policies, when U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez called EUSD’s Parental Exclusion Policy a “trifecta of harm” and ruled that EUSD could not enforce this dangerous policy against Elizabeth and Lori. But this groundbreaking court order was far from the end of road in this case and in our national battle to protect parents’ rights.

Despite the federal court order that spelled defeat for Parental Exclusion Policies, California officials refused to read the writing on the wall. Over the course of the case, it became apparent that the push for these Parental Exclusion Policies came from the top of California government. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is spearheading this concentrated push, and even issued bogus “legal alerts” warning the public that the court order in our case has no wider application.

Meanwhile, Bonta has been busy taking school districts to court for notifying parents when their children exhibit gender-related issues in school—or, in other words, for being transparent with parents. For that reason, we’ve now added him to this lawsuit as a defendant to make sure California’s top law enforcement official is held accountable in the court of law. Moreover, we are now in the process of expanding the case into a class action lawsuit that will seek class-wide protection for parents, teachers, and school districts against California’s radical anti-family ideology.

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“Our clients hope to put this issue to rest once and for all—by obtaining class-wide relief on behalf of similarly situated teachers, parents, and school districts.”

—Paul Jonna,
Thomas More Society Special Counsel

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Our latest court filings in this case add a school district that seeks to be transparent with parents but faces threats from Bonta’s office—as well as two sets of parents whose children ‘socially transitioned’ without their knowledge while at school. These parents know, firsthand, the extreme harm that results from radical gender policies proliferating across the country. We’re going back to court to protect their rights and their children’s future, and to make sure this never happens again.

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The inviolable and natural bond between parent and child is a gift that cannot be replaced. That is precisely why Thomas More Society will continue to advocate on behalf of teachers and parents who are speaking out and challenging school policies and state laws that violate parents’ rights and hurt our children. With your support, we will be able to continue this federal court battle to put an end to Parental Exclusion Policies nationwide, against radical gender ideologues who seek to destroy the sacred parent-child relationship.

Securing Our Right to Live the Faith Without Fear

Protecting religious liberty in Captain Jeffrey Little v. Los Angeles County Fire Department

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Many of us will face a time during our lives that—whether in a matter small or large—we will be required to choose between doing what is easy and what is right. When Captain Jeffrey Little—a lifeguard captain who has dedicated 22 years of heroic public service to the Los Angeles County Fire Department—faced this choice, he chose to do what is right. For that, he suffered religious discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and even a death threat.

In March 2023, Los Angeles County passed a resolution requiring all county-operated facilities to fly the ‘Progress Pride Flag’ during the month of June, which has been deemed ‘Pride Month.’ He could not personally hoist it, or require his subordinates to do so, in good conscience. This flag represents an ideology—along with it, beliefs about sexuality and marriage—that run utterly contrary to Captain Little’s sincerely held Christian beliefs.

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It was a simple request, so when Captain Little asked for a religious accommodation that would exempt him from personally raising the Progress Pride Flag, he didn’t expect pushback. The L.A. County Fire Department initially granted Captain Little’s request. But then, two days later, the exemption was revoked without explanation. His Division Chief burst into his office and threatened: “You are an LA County employee, that’s the only thing that matters” and “Your religious beliefs do not matter.”

In May 2024, Thomas More Society filed a federal lawsuit against the L.A. County Fire Department and its officials, to vindicate Captain Little and win permanent protection for his religious liberty rights.

Under legal pressure, Captain Little was granted a partial exemption from raising the Pride Flag during June 2024. But this is not enough. L.A. County has refused to grant him a complete exemption, meaning that he could still be mandated to order his subordinates to raise the flag. Moreover, he is still forced to endure the same grueling bureaucratic process every June to get a new exemption.

On behalf of Captain Little, Thomas More Society is demanding full and complete protection of Captain Little’s religious liberty rights, and with that, securing the freedom of all Americans to believe and practice their faith without fear in the workplace. Ideologically motivated religious discrimination should never take precedence over a man’s right to live out his faith freely.

As our culture’s moral compass loses its north pole, hostility against religious belief and expression in the public square is increasing—especially in the workplace, where corporate bureaucracies target religious beliefs that they perceive to be at odds with “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Thomas More Society is pushing back in the court of law against this tide.

Thomas More Society is committed to defending the religious liberty rights of faithful Americans, like Captain Little, to express and live out their faith in today’s world. Religious discrimination—of the like he has suffered for bravely choosing what is right over what is easy—has no place in our great nation and will not be tolerated. With your support, we can take a stand for Captain Little and make clear that Christians like him cannot be treated like second-class citizens.

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“My prayer is that people of faith will flourish in the workplace and not feel as if they need to hide that part of themselves in order to be successful in their jobs.”

—Captain Jeffrey Little

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Thomas More Society has been blessed with critical victories in recent courtroom battles that will have a lasting impact on restoring our culture for future generations. 

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Protecting Illinois Pregnancy Centers

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When Illinois targeted life-affirming, pregnancy help ministries that serve women and their children free-of-charge, Thomas More Society stepped in to defend their right to continue their life-affirming ministries.

Representing the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), along with several other local pregnancy centers and sidewalk counseling organizations, Thomas More Society challenged Illinois Senate Bill 1909, which redefined constitutionally protected pro-life speech as a “deceptive business practice” and “misinformation.” This egregious attack on our bedrock First Amendment rights was intended to silence and shut down pregnancy centers that do not provide or refer for abortions and ‘emergency contraception.’

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‍An hour after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed SB 1909 into law, Thomas More Society attorneys ran into court with an emergency lawsuit to block the law. A week later, U.S. District Court Judge Iain D. Johnston issued a Preliminary Injunction against SB 1909, temporarily blocking the state law. Judge Johnston wrote:

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“SB 1909 is both stupid and very likely unconstitutional. It is stupid because its own supporter admitted it was unneeded and was unsupported by evidence when challenged. It is likely unconstitutional because it is a blatant example of government taking the side of whose speech is sanctionable and whose speech is immunized—on the very same subject no less.”

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In December 2023, Illinois waved the white flag in total surrender. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul agreed to permanently halt SB 1909’s enforcement—a resounding victory for NIFLA, pregnancy help ministries across Illinois, and Thomas More Society.