NAACP attacks Ariz. bill prohibiting gender- and race-selection abortions
Alliance Defending Freedom seeks to intervene on behalf of bill’s sponsor and Frederick Douglass Foundation
Monday, Jul 1, 2013
Attorney sound bite: Casey Mattox
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a motion to intervene Monday in a lawsuit filed by a branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and others against an Arizona bill that prohibits gender- and race-based abortions.
Alliance Defending Freedom represents the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Steve Montenegro, and The Frederick Douglass Foundation. Also moving to intervene is Maricopa County Attorney William Montgomery, who is empowered to enforce the Arizona law.
“Every innocent life deserves to be protected, and that’s especially true of babies being targeted for death simply because of their sex or race,” said Senior Counsel Casey Mattox. “There is nothing medically necessary or constitutionally protected about an abortion that is committed on the basis of sex or race, and the NAACP should be opposed to such a practice more than anyone.”
Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP’s Maricopa County branch is suing together with the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. Together the groups claim that the Arizona law is unconstitutional and stigmatizes minorities for their decision to have an abortion.
“It is a tragic injustice to discriminate against unborn babies because of their race or gender,” said Montenegro, primary sponsor of HB 2443. “The public must not be misled by misinformation aimed solely at dismantling a law that gives every child the equality he or she deserves.”
The Frederick Douglass Foundation is a non-profit multiethnic educational and public policy organization that advocated for the bill and seeks to empower black communities. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom motion filed in NAACP v. Horne, “As an organization dedicated to advancing the real long-term interests of African-Americans and African-American communities, The Frederick Douglass Foundation has a strong interest in this law which seeks to stop race discrimination and race targeting in abortion.”
“Preserving the life of all babies, regardless of their gender or race, should be everyone’s priority,” added Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “We trust the court will not allow this needless attack on Arizona’s law to succeed.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
Alliance Defending Freedom represents the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Steve Montenegro, and The Frederick Douglass Foundation. Also moving to intervene is Maricopa County Attorney William Montgomery, who is empowered to enforce the Arizona law.
“Every innocent life deserves to be protected, and that’s especially true of babies being targeted for death simply because of their sex or race,” said Senior Counsel Casey Mattox. “There is nothing medically necessary or constitutionally protected about an abortion that is committed on the basis of sex or race, and the NAACP should be opposed to such a practice more than anyone.”
Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP’s Maricopa County branch is suing together with the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. Together the groups claim that the Arizona law is unconstitutional and stigmatizes minorities for their decision to have an abortion.
“It is a tragic injustice to discriminate against unborn babies because of their race or gender,” said Montenegro, primary sponsor of HB 2443. “The public must not be misled by misinformation aimed solely at dismantling a law that gives every child the equality he or she deserves.”
The Frederick Douglass Foundation is a non-profit multiethnic educational and public policy organization that advocated for the bill and seeks to empower black communities. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom motion filed in NAACP v. Horne, “As an organization dedicated to advancing the real long-term interests of African-Americans and African-American communities, The Frederick Douglass Foundation has a strong interest in this law which seeks to stop race discrimination and race targeting in abortion.”
“Preserving the life of all babies, regardless of their gender or race, should be everyone’s priority,” added Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “We trust the court will not allow this needless attack on Arizona’s law to succeed.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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