Florida license plates -
Lawsuits Galore!!!

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Rochester Area Right To Life

January 2004 Bulletin from the "Choose Life" folks in Florida, who are helping people in other states to get their own plates through their own state processes.

Lawsuits Galore!

The opposition must be starting to worry about all the additional states that have approved the plate during 2003 (we now have 12 states). Lawsuits have been filed in Tennessee, Arkansas and a suit was re-filed in Louisiana. It is too early to see where they will end up, but the bottom line is that unless a state does away with all of their specialty plates, eventually they will have to allow a Choose Life license plate, so we will just keep pressing onward and upward!

Choose Life supporters have taken advantage of the initial ruling of the federal judge in Louisiana against the plate and filed a similar suit in California. The federal judge there issued an injunction against the State of California prohibiting them from authorizing any new specialty plates until they came up with a more equitable means of approving these types of plates. The legislature finally got the message that we were not going away and a bill to revise the approval process is working its way through the legislature.

 Supporters in Arizona have also filed suit against the State of Arizona for discrimination when they refused to grant an administrative application for a Choose Life license plate, even though the application met all of their requirements.


October News  -  Florida Tag Sales Break Two Million Dollar Mark!

The Florida Choose Life license plate passed the two million dollars raised mark on September 11, 2003. Let me introduce our $2 million family. Jill and I interviewed John & Beth Philbrick, long time residents of Orlando. They have 2 teenagers, a son Matthew 16 and a daughter Anna 13. John is a Civil Engineer and Beth does volunteer work and is active in Bible Study Fellowship. Beth�s beautiful 2003 Silver Toyota looks wonderful with her new Choose Life license plate. It was that plate that put the license plate funds raised over the two million dollar mark. That is $2 million raised to support the adoption efforts of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Maternity Homes and non-profit adoption agencies across the state.

When asked why she purchased the Choose Life license plate, Beth said, �I am a Christian and I don�t see how anyone can be a Christian and not be pro-life.� John said he supported the Choose Life license plate because he places a high value on human life.

The Philbrick family was given some Choose Life promotional products to say thank you for their support.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the Choose Life license plate products (Christmas is coming) check out the website. All funds raised by the real Choose Life plate go to the cause and the funds from the Choose Life promotional items supports our efforts to promote and spread the word about the Choose Life license plate in Florida and nationally.

Testimonies

The Choose Life license plate is making a difference in the lives of families all across this nation. Read our latest testimony  My Name is Alecia� at our Testimony page http://www.choose-life.org/testimonies.html.


Million Dollar Celebration

Choose Life, Inc. announces its Million Dollar Day is May 23, 2002. According to the Tallahassee DMV records, the sales of the Choose Life license plate in Florida will go over $1,000,000.00 then. This tag continues to be one of the most popular new specialty plates in Florida, raising over $56,000.00 in April 2002, up from $47,000.00 in July 2001.

The folks at Choose Life will designate a tag purchaser to be the "Million Dollar Tag" and present him/her with a package of Choose Life promotional items to say thank you.

The Choose Life tag now adorns over 30,000 vehicles in Florida. Every sale and/or renewal raises $20.00 to assist adoption efforts in Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Maternity Homes and certain non-profit adoption agencies in the county where the tag was purchased.

Russ Amerling, National Publicity Coordinator for Choose Life, Inc. said, "We have been successful in helping get the Choose Life license plate approved in Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma and efforts are currently underway with groups and individuals in many other states, to help them get the tag too."

More information about the National Choose Life license plate effort is available at www.choose-life.org


"Other States" Update
The Choose Life license plate is now law in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina. It has passed the House & Senate in Kansas and is awaiting the signature of the Governor. It has passed the House in Oklahoma and is currently held up in the Senate. If you want to sign a petition supporting its passage in Oklahoma, go to our homepage www.choose-life.org and click on the link at the top of the page. Choose Life Bills or applications are currently pending in Ohio, Kentucky, New York and Connecticut. I have a promise of sponsors next year in Texas, Arkansas, Virginia, California and possibly Missouri. Many more states have tried in the past and now that the various lawsuits are quickly being dismissed, I believe they will try again.

Lawsuit Update
The first two lawsuits in Florida have been dismissed with prejudice by Florida state and federal courts.
A third suit has been filed by a New York group, the Committee for Reproductive Action & Policy. It is in federal court in Miami. Their request for an injunction to stop the distribution of the Choose Life license plate funds was denied.
The Louisiana lawsuit was sent back by the Appeals Court with instructions to have it dismissed. We hope that means the LA tag may soon be on the road.
The South Carolina lawsuit was only filed late last year, so it has a long way to go. State Attorney General Charlie Condon is fighting the suit on behalf of SC and believes that they will ultimately win and the Choose Life license plate will be available in SC.
I am not aware of any other lawsuits at this time.

The approximate number of Choose Life tags on the road in Florida is 30,000.

4/15/2002

Our revamped web site is up and running now, and if you have not had a chance to visit it, please do www.choose-life.org3/19/2002

Florida Lawsuit Stalled Again

Great news! The Federal judge in Miami has refused to grant an injunction on the distribution of the Choose Life license plate funds, so they will continue to go out. This is the third lawsuit filed by opponents to the Choose Life license plate. The first two have been dismissed as having no merit. Florida counties are still in the process of distributing the $427,000.00 they received early September last year. In July of 2002 approximately $625,000.00 more will be distributed.  2/25/2002

Judge Throws Out Case Against FL Choose Life Plates

Tallahassee, FL -- A judge threw out a pro-abortion lawsuit Wednesday challenging Florida's "Choose Life'' license plate, which abortion advocates argue is a state-sponsored religious message.

The optional bright yellow plates went on sale in August of last year; counties use proceeds to promote adoption over abortion. Through the end of last month, 25,272 had been sold. State Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Bob Sanchez said $668,000 has been raised from sales of the plate.

Leon County Circuit Judge Nikki Ann Clark dismissed the case Wednesday, saying the plaintiffs failed to prove the plate was unconstitutional. "No facts are alleged to support the conclusory assertions of excessive government entanglement with religion," Clark wrote in a terse, three-page order.

Clark added the legal equivalent of an exclamation point by dismissing the case "with prejudice." That means the plaintiffs cannot ask her to reconsider her decision.

The plaintiffs, which included the pro-abortion National Organization for Women and a Palm Beach County synagogue, said they would appeal the decision. NOW argued the phrase ``Choose Life,'' which appears on the plate, gives the impression that the state agrees with the pro-life perspective.

``We have always believed this suit had no legal merit,'' said Elizabeth Hirst, pro-life Gov. Jeb Bush's press secretary. ``People make a personal choice to display the Choose Life license plate. It is their right as an individual.''

Mike McCarron, executive director of the Florida Catholic Conference, was also pleased. Putting the phrase "Choose Life" on a license plate is not establishing a state religion, he said. "We always thought that was a stretch." In Alabama last month, a license plate committee made up of legislators, state leaders and county tag officials approved the tag, as long as 1,000 motorists pay $50 to order it in advance. No challenges have been filed in Alabama to date.

Similar plates have been challenged by abortion advocates in South Carolina and Louisiana. Note!!! Remember that Christmas is coming soon and our promotional products at www.choose-life.org/order.html  make good Christmas gifts. 

Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 12:35:37 -0500

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And here's a story somebody told them:

"Believing that legal action prevented us from buying the customized "Choose Life" license plates from the state of FL, my husband purchased a generic front "Choose Life" plate from Hosanna House for the front of my car. One day, as I was pumping gas, a young girl (probably in her early twenties) approached me. She asked me where I had purchased my "Choose Life" tag, because she wanted to get one. She unfolded her story that as a college student she found herself pregnant with her third child. Eager to finish college she made an appointment to have an abortion. On her way to the clinic she followed a car with a "Choose Life" license tag. As she got closer to the clinic she could not bring herself to keep her appointment, because the message on the tag spoke so loudly to her. She followed through with her pregnancy and now has a 9 month old son that joined her two young daughters. She testified that she would not change things now and is enjoying her little boy. Obviously she feels so good about her decision that she wants a tag for her car, in hopes she can help someone else make a decision for life!

"I went away truly blessed by that 5 minute encounter. I still have warm fuzzies as I write this short testimonial. I did share with her where I had gotten my tag. I gave her a hug and thanked her for giving her son life and sharing the blessing with me. Hind sight always being wiser, I wished that I had had the presence of mind to take my tag off and give it to her. Perhaps she will continue to bless others with her story 'til she finds someone that thinks a little faster than I do!"


Those Florida tags are garnering  $15,538 for a pregnancy center in Melbourne, Florida.  Kudos to the Choose Life group that have worked so hard to get the plates into circulation.  Details at the bottom of this screen. 9/5/2001


A message from the folks in Florida who have spearheaded a "Choose Life" license plate program.  Want to read the details yourself? Drop by their website: www.choose-life.org

They say:

Tag Sales Exceed 29,000 August 21, 2001

The total Choose Life license plate(r) tag sales for the state of Florida will go over the 29,000 mark tomorrow. This means that you folks will have raised over $580,000.00 for adoption efforts in Florida through crisis pregnancy centers and maternity homes, etc.

Congratulations, Florida!


Good news from Florida!  (June, 2001)

Florida Choose Life Plates Receive First Judicial Victory

Tallahassee, FL -- A judge declined to block production of Florida's "Choose Life" license plate Friday while considering whether its message is unconstitutional, a plaintiffs' lawyer said.

The pro-abortion National Organization for Women, a Palm Beach County synagogue and three other pro-abortion plaintiffs are ultimately seeking recall of the plates, which they claim contain a religious phrase tied to pro-life groups.

NOW and the other pro-abortion plaintiffs have asked Circuit Judge Nikki Ann Clark to ban the plate, saying it violates constitutional provisions meant to keep government and religion separate.

Clark hasn't issued a final ruling on the request, but declined Friday to issue a temporary restraining order keeping the state from producing more while she considers it, said Barry Silver, a lawyer for NOW.

Source: Bradenton (FL) Herald; June 9, 2001 as quoted in the Pro-Life Infonet 6/10/01 #2451.  The Pro-Life Infonet is a daily compilation of pro-life news and information. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe" to: [email protected]. Infonet is sponsored by Women and Children First (http://www.prolifeinfo.org/wcf). For more pro-life info visit http://www.prolifeinfo.org and for questions or additional information email [email protected]


Florida Choose Life license plate passes 15,000 mark March 7, 2001

Choose Life, Inc. reports that the total statewide sales of the Choose Life license plate passed the 15,000 mark. The March 6th statistics showed 14,896 and the tags are selling at a rate of 105 per day. This means $300,000.00 has been raised to help women in crisis pregnancies who want to place their child for adoption. The funds raised through June 30, 2001 will be sent to the counties where the tags were sold, in July 2001.

Want to read the details yourself? Drop by their website: www.choose-life.org


In Florida you can get a license plate that says "Choose Life," part of the proceeds for which go to help women who are in a problem pregnancy.  The folks that put the drive together that accomplished this minor miracle have a website.  Here's what they say as of  February 5, 2001:

Help us tell everyone about the beautiful new Choose Life license plate. After only 20 weeks of sales, the state has sold over 10,000 of the Choose Life license plates and has raised over $200,000.00. That is more money than 35 other specialty tags each raised in all of last year.

Congratulations to Florida! 

Check out the website:  www.choose-life.org


updated 9/5/2001

Florida CPC Receives Money From Sales of Choose Life Licese Plates

Viera, FL -- A Melbourne, Florida pregnancy center that assists women who decide to give their babies up for adoption rather than have abortions will receive $15,538 this year from the sale of Choose Life license plates in Brevard County.

Brevard County commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to give the money to Pregnancy Resources of Melbourne, chosen by a coalition of local pro-life and adoption counseling agencies. Four other counties have approved similar plans for the disbursement of the yellow, crayon-lettered plates that carry the pro-life slogan.

Pregnancy Resources will have to perform an annual audit that the coalition will pay for, said Gay Williams, interim director of the county's Housing and Human Services Department.

"We can't just give the money to an agency and say, 'Here, you take it. Whatever,' " Wiliams said. "We still have to monitor to make sure they comply with the agreement and the outcome measures."

Commissioner Nancy Higgs voted against the measure because she was concerned about being accountable for the use of the money. She wanted the county to disburse the money through the competitive bidding process set up for deciding who gets community grant money. "I'm concerned about the way we handle our dollars," Higgs said.

Russ Amerling, national publicity coordinator for Choose Life Inc., said revenue from the $20 surcharge on the specialty plate shouldn't be viewed like other state and federal grant programs that are funded with tax dollars.

"It's not tax revenue per se," Amerling said. "It's a contribution from those who choose to buy the tag."

The Choose Life plates went on sale last August after a judge ruled they could be sold despite a case filed by the pro-abortion National Organization of Women objecting to the plate's message. That case is pending in Leon County Circuit Court.

Statewide sales through the end of the state's fiscal year June 30 were estimated at $427,600, Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Bob Sanchez said.

That money only recently became available to counties for disbursement. State law requires the money be distributed to nonprofit corporations that support pregnant women who want to give their children up for adoption instead of having abortions. Seventy percent of the money must be spent on direct support of the mother and child - doctor bills, transportation and food and clothing until the baby is placed with adoptive parents. The other 30 percent can be spent on advertising, counselor training and helping the adoption efforts.

Funds cannot be given to any agency involved in or associated with abortion activities, including counseling and referrals to abortion facilities, performing abortions, or pro-abortion advertising. Funds also may not be distributed to agencies that charge women for services.

Brevard's share comes from the sale of 691 tags through June, Sanchez said. That's far less than the 1,306 sold in Palm Beach County, where the litigation challenging the plate originated.

Pregnancy Resources was chosen by its colleagues because it's the largest of the agencies in Brevard that qualify to receive the money and because it has experience administering grants. It currently has two grants from the county totaling $3,000 for its abstinence and parenting programs.

"We treat it as education but we are pro-life," executive director Terri Chase said. "We believe if we truthfully give a girl all her options she'll choose the right one."

Source: Florida Today; August 29, 2001 as quoted in the Pro-Life Infonet 8/31/01 #2517. Courtesy of the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to http://www.prolifeinfo.org or email [email protected]


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