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A Message From Richard Thompson

January 22, 2013 by

“A nation that kills its children has no future.”

— Pope John Paul II, 1996 —

Today marks the 40^th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade which created out of thin air the constitutional right to abortion on demand. As a result 55 million babies have thus far been killed in their mothers’ womb. Even though Roe v. Wade had no basis in our constitution or legal precedent, it still remains the law of the land despite the heroic efforts of many pro-life activists.

Neither favorable pro-life public opinion polls, nor studies and speeches decrying abortion give comfort to the unborn child facing the abortionist’s knife and forceps or death by chemicals.

Yesterday with pomp and circumstance our Nation celebrated the second term inauguration of President Obama, the most radical pro-abortion President in the history of the United States. But the gloss of that moment should not cover-up the fact that during his first term, he surrounded himself with radical pro-abortion appointees, and arrayed the vast powers of the Federal Government in the war against the unborn.

So with President Obama’s second term, we can expect the continued brutal-killing of millions of innocent unborn children ─ while our government continues to be complicit in that slaughter.

Lincoln’s 1862 address to Congress concerning the situation our Nation was facing over slavery, applies to what our Nation is now facing over abortion.

“The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with occasion.”

Your support is what has kept the pro-life movement alive all these years. And in these dangerous times for the unborn, we must “rise with the occasion.” Lincoln ultimately succeeded—and so will we.

Pope John Paul II said in 1996: “A nation that kills its children has no future.”

That truth has guided the Thomas More Law Center’s aggressive legal defense of the sanctity of human life ever since we opened our doors. And it continues to guide our actions in court today.

It is clear. Regardless of these difficult times, Americans must do what they can, with what they have, to end the slaughter of the millions of innocent babies yet to be conceived.

Knowing “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether,” our Nation should tremble with fear as God beholds the faces of the millions of aborted children ─ His specially loved ones ─ killed according to our laws.

Kathleen Sibelius is one of President Obama’s generals in the war on the unborn. As his Secretary of Health and Human Services, she promulgated the HHS mandate that requires employers to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing procedures despite the employer’s religious objections. TMLC has filed two federal cases challenging the HHS mandate. We have obtained court orders stopping enforcement of the Mandate in both cases. But the court battles are not yet over.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson was co-founder in 1969 of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws — NARAL — later renamed the National Abortion Rights Action League. He was responsible for 75,000 abortions. He later became pro-life and in 1996 was baptized in the Catholic Church.

After his conversion he became a zealous foe of abortions and explained how fraudulent tactics of the pro-aborts played a significant role in convincing the Supreme Court to decide Roe v. Wade:

Knowing that if a true poll were taken, they would be soundly defeated, they simply fabricated the results of fictional polls, announcing that 60% of Americans were in favor of abortion.
They told the media that 10,000 women were dying annually from illegal abortions. The real number was around 200 – 250 annually.
They told the public that legalizing abortion would merely mean that abortions taking place illegally would then be done legally. In fact the annual number of abortions increased by 1500%. (Abortion is now the primary method of birth control.)
They vilified the Catholic Church and its hierarchy for its “socially backward ideas”.
They insisted that the definition of when life begins is impossible; that the question is a theological or moral or philosophical one. In fact it is a scientific one. Fetology makes it undeniably evident that life begins at conception. It was this scientific fact that convinced Dr. Nathanson to become pro-life.

Many of the above tactics are now being used to advance the HHS mandate.

You remain the only hope for millions of children yet to be conceived.

Clearly, the Abortion Goliath will not go away without a fight. With its vast financial resources, phalanx of high-priced attorneys and in alliance with the federal government, it will go to court and challenge laws that restrict abortion on demand.

This is a David versus Goliath battle.

I don’t know if God will ever forgive America for our national sin of abortion. I’m sure, however, He will reward you for your efforts to save His most precious creation.

May God bless you. And may He continue to bless America.

Sincerely,

Richard Thompson
President & Chief Counsel
Thomas More Law Center

Date Correction – Important Legislation Update Concerning IRA Charitable Gifts to TMLC

January 15, 2013 by

On January 2, 2013, Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. This means that you are still able to make a 2012 charitable donation to the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) in two ways:

If you received an IRA distribution in December of 2012, you can make a donation from those proceeds to TMLC and that portion of your distribution will be treated as a Qualified Charitable Rollover for 2012. Simply send your donation to TMLC by January 31, 2013 with instructions that the funds were initially distributed to you in December, 2012 from your IRA account.
If a donation is sent directly from your IRA account to the Thomas More Law Center by January 31, 2013, those proceeds will be treated as a Qualified Charitable Rollover for 2012.

With regard to the year 2013, tax free charitable donations from IRA accounts will be subject to the same dollar limit ($100,000) for individuals and other restrictions that were in place before the law expired on December 31, 2011.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, in part, reinstated the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Qualified Charitable Rollover. This IRA provision, which expired on December 31, 2011, was reinstated to apply retroactively to 2012. It allows individuals aged 70 ½ or older to make tax free charitable donations up to $100,000 ($200,000 for married couples) from their IRA accounts. You have until January 31, 2013 to do so.

Please contact Tom Lynch, Director of Mission Advancement, at (734) 827-2001 for more information.

Note: This section provides general financial information, not specific financial advice. The material contained in this section does not create or imply an advisor-client relationship with the Thomas More Law Center or any of its attorneys. For specific questions, consult a qualified financial

Federal Judge Grants Tom Monaghan Emergency Request; Halts Government Enforcement of HHS Mandate

December 31, 2012 by

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced that yesterday (12/30/12) Federal District Court Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff of the Eastern District of Michigan, granted its Emergency Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order of the HHS Mandate. The motion was filed on behalf of Tom Monaghan.

Judge Zatkoff’s ruling effectively halts enforcement of the HHS mandate against Monaghan and his property management company, Domino’s Farms Corporation of which he is the owner and sole shareholder. Domino’s Farms Corporation manages an Office Complex owned by Monaghan and is not to be confused with Domino’s Pizza. Monaghan sold the Pizza company in 1998 and has no active affiliation with it at this time.

The HHS mandate refers to regulations adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services that forces employers, regardless of their religious convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties.

Click here to read Judge Zatkoff’s entire opinion.

Erin Mersino, TMLC’s lead counsel on the case filed the original complaint for Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive relief on December 14, 2012. On December 21, 2012, Mersino filed the Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order.

Judge Zatkoff issued his ruling amid a flurry of briefs and supplemental pleadings over the Christmas Holiday between Erin Mersino and the Government’s attorney. The need for quick resolution was clear—on January 1, 2013, Tom Monaghan would be forced to choose between violating his religious beliefs and violating federal law.

For purposes of the emergency Motion, Judge Zatkoff focused only on the claim brought under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He held he did not need to engage in a separate discussion of Plaintiffs’ Constitutional right to the Free Exercise of Religion since both theories seek to protect the same liberty interest—the free practice of one’s religion.

The Government is expected to appeal Judge Zatkoff’s ruling.

REMINDER: Only 2 Days Left to Give a 2012 Tax-Deductible Gift to TMLC

December 30, 2012 by

“These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
Thomas Paine – December 19, 1776 – The American Crisis

As in 1776, America is in crisis today. And as a faithful donor to TMLC, you have already demonstrated you don’t shrink from sacrifices in the service of our country in these times of crisis.

You understand that our challenge as patriotic Christians is to confront America’s crisis head on.

And your generous financial support has helped the TMLC become the “point of the spear” in the legal battles to maintain a strong and free America, and to restore and preserve our Nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values.

So as 2012 draws to a close, please consider making another sacrifice—a special year-end, tax-deductible gift to the Law Center.

You have only 2 days left to make your gift deductible on your 2012 Federal taxes.. If you make a donation on- line, it must be made by December 31, 2012 to count as tax deductible on your 2012 Federal taxes. If you mail in a donation, the envelope must be postmarked by 12/31.

Wishing you a Happy New Year,

The Staff of the Thomas More Law Center

P.S. The excerpt from Paine’s The American Crisis quoted at the top of the page has a special meaning to Americans. According to many historians, those words saved the American Revolution.

By their sacrifices those American patriots of 1776 gave the gift of freedom to a nation, to their children and the generations that followed.

Now, it’s up to us to make sure our generation passes on that gift to our children and future generations. Your donation to the Thomas More Law Center will help do just that.

Federal Judge Grants Tom Monaghan Emergency Request; Halts Government Enforcement of HHS Mandate

December 30, 2012 by

Click here to read Judge Zatkoff’s entire opinion.

The Government is expected to appeal Judge Zatkoff’s ruling.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life. It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America. The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

Surprise: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of Boy Scouts over Lesbian and Agnostic Couples

December 28, 2012 by

In a surprising decision last week that drew little press attention, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, handed the Boy Scouts a victory over a lesbian couple and an agnostic couple. The Ninth Circuit is considered the most liberal appellate court in the land.

The Boy Scouts’ victory came nearly ten years after they were originally sued.

At issue in the case are leases between San Diego and the Boy Scouts which allow the Boy Scouts to build and operate camp grounds and an aquatic center for use by the Scouts and the public. The lesbian and agnostic couples sued even though they had never visited the facilities or ask to join in scouting activities.

In 2003 a lesbian couple and their son and an agnostic couple and their son filed a federal lawsuit against the Desert Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts and the City of San Diego. They claimed that the leases to the Boy Scouts violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution because the Boy Scouts discriminate on the basis of religion and sexual orientation. A federal district court judge agreed and enjoined both leases. The Boy Scouts then appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The initial three-judge panel dismissed the case finding the couples lacked standing to sue. However, the three-judge panel’s decision was reversed by an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit.

The ensuing legal maneuvering involved the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. But both courts refused to act. In the lengthy legal process, TMLC filed friend of the court briefs in both the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Boy Scouts. After the Supreme Court’s refusal to review the case, the Ninth Circuit held a hearing in June 2011. It handed down its opinion last week, December 20, 2012.

Click here to read opinion.

Richard Thompson, TMLC’s President and Chief Counsel, commented: “The Plaintiff-couples never visited the facilities in question nor did they ask to participated in scout activities. Their sole reason for bringing this lawsuit was because they were offended and outraged by the Boy Scout Oath, to do his duty to God and his country and to keep himself morally straight. Although the Ninth Circuit Court’s decision in favor of the Boy Scouts is to be applauded, the cases should have been dismissed at the outset, since being offended by the Boy Scouts’ religiosity and opposition to homosexuality is not a basis for “standing” to bring the lawsuit in the first place.”