Press Release: NIFLA Celebrates 25 Years Protecting Women’s Choice, Culture of Life

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NIFLA celebrates 25 years of protecting women’s choice and culture of life

Anniversary comes as U.S. Supreme Court set to rule on NIFLA free speech lawsuit

May 25, 2018—VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.—America’s top pro-life leaders, women’s legal advocates, and Christian voices assembled in Virginia Beach on Wednesday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates.

“Twenty-five years ago, I founded NIFLA to provide medical training and legal assistance for pro-life pregnancy resource centers who face ferocious attacks by the abortion industry every day,” said NIFLA President and Founder Thomas Glessner to the nearly 200 celebration attendees. “We’re so grateful to God and to thousands of advocates – volunteer and otherwise – nationwide who have embodied our motto of empowering mothers to choose life.”

“As a result of their unwavering commitment to excellence, nearly 1,200 of our 1,450 pro-life pregnancy center members have become medical clinics,” added Anne O’Connor, NIFLA Vice President of Legal Affairs. “We are privileged to equip, serve and defend pregnancy centers working hard on the front lines of the fight for life.”

Alliance Defending Freedom President Michael Farris delivered the keynote address to NIFLA’s anniversary celebration.

“It is an honor to be associated with NIFLA and with the centers… and to be able to argue their case before the Supreme Court of the United States,” Farris said to the applause of those gathered Wednesday evening. “If you want to turn the country around, you do it by standing up for the weak and the powerless among us – and there is no one that fits that description better than the innocent child in the womb.”

For his service to NIFLA and the pro-life cause Michael Farris received a special award plaque from NIFLA commemorating the day of argument for the NIFLA v. Becerra Supreme Court case.

Farris’ praise for NIFLA was echoed by other leaders in the pro-life movement. In a video celebrating NIFLA’s anniversary, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly stated NIFLA’s Supreme Court case is “one of the most significant pro-life cases to come before the…Court in years.”

NIFLA also presented certificates of excellence to Kim Warburton, Executive Director of  Pregnancy Resource Center of Metro Richmond. In a show of support for NIFLA and its member centers, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence sent messages to NIFLA for the occasion. Attendees gave a standing ovation for President Trump’s message, which stated:

“My Administration is committed to protecting the religious liberty of our people and ensuring the right to life for the most vulnerable. I commend the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates for 25 years of service to pro-life pregnancy centers across the United States. Your efforts have helped strengthen the culture of life and love in our communities, and I am proud to say that we are once again winning the fight to defend innocent unborn children.”

Many of the attendees of the anniversary celebration also participated in NIFLA’s 2018 National Legal & Medical Summit. Summit seminars and lectures focused on NIFLA’s Supreme Court case, education on the legal rights of 501 (c)3 organizations, the realities of how abortion impacts women’s health, regulatory challenges facing pregnancy resource centers, and other important topics.

About NIFLA

The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates is a national nonprofit organization providing legal counsel, education, and training for pro-life pregnancy centers and medical clinics.

Representing a network of more than 1,450 pregnancy centers across the United States, NIFLA has recently challenged laws in California, Illinois and Hawaii that target its members. Arguments for NIFLA’s Supreme Court case NIFLA v. Becerra were heard on March 20 and a decision is expected in June 2018.

To book interviews with Thomas Glessner or Anne O’Connor about NIFLA’s Supreme Court case please contact NIFLA’s media team at [email protected]. If you would like more information about what NIFLA is doing to make a difference in the pro-life movement, please visit www.nifla.org.