Bryant v. Stein
Description: An abortionist in North Carolina is challenging five laws aimed at promoting maternal health and safety by requiring that abortions be performed in person by a qualified physician in a certified hospital or clinic, after a woman has provided voluntary and informed consent following a period of reflection.
Court allows NC lawmakers to defend state's pro-life, pro-woman laws
DURHAM, N.C. – A federal district court issued an order Friday that allows the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate to intervene in defense of the state’s duly enacted pro-life laws. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing Speaker Tim Moore and President Pro Tempore Phil Berger asked the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Durham Division, to allow them to enter the case to defend the laws.
In the case, Bryant v. Stein, an abortionist in the state is challenging five laws aimed at promoting maternal health and safety by requiring that chemical abortions be performed in person by a qualified physician in a certified hospital or clinic, after a woman has provided voluntary and informed consent following a period of reflection. One in five women who undergo a chemical abortion will suffer a complication and require further medical attention.
“Women who become unexpectedly pregnant should be empowered with life-affirming options and resources to make the best choice for themselves and their unborn babies,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “Tragically, many women turn to abortion as a last resort, unaware of the harms of chemical abortion or the resources available to them. No one benefits more from this situation than abortionists, who profit with each abortion they sell. We’re pleased the court allowed Speaker Moore and President Pro Tempore Berger to enter this case and help defend North Carolina’s pro-life and pro-woman laws.”
ADF attorneys have represented Moore and Berger in two other cases defending North Carolina’s pro-life laws: Bryant v. Woodall and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Moore.
- Pronunciation guide: Harle (HAR’-lee)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Denise Harle
Denise Harle serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where she is the director of the Center for Life. Prior to joining ADF, Harle served as deputy solicitor general in the Office of the Florida Attorney General, where she drafted appellate briefs and presented oral arguments on behalf of the state in a wide variety of constitutional cases, including defending the constitutionality of pro-life laws. In 2017, she participated in the prestigious Supreme Court Fellow program, sponsored by the National Association of Attorneys General. She clerked for Justice Ricky L. Polston on the Florida Supreme Court and worked for several years as an appellate litigator at a large firm in California. Harle earned bachelor’s degrees, summa cum laude, in psychology and interdisciplinary social science from Florida State University, a master’s degree in political science from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law. At Duke, she served as the executive editor of Law & Contemporary Problems. A member of the state bars of California, Florida, and Georgia, she is admitted to multiple federal district and appellate courts, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.