The ACLJ Takes URGENT Legal Action After U.S. Army Briefing Equates Pro-Life Organizations and Anyone With a "Choose Life" License Plate to Deadly "Terrorist Groups" Like ISIS

Al Qaeda.

ISIS.

Hamas.

Operation Rescue.

Hezbollah.

Which one of those doesn’t belong with the others? None of them, according to the Biden Administration. Shocking recent reports have revealed that the U.S. Department of Defense, under Commander-in-Chief Biden, is effectively training American troops to view pro-life organizations – and everyday pro-life Americans – as equal to Islamic terrorists.

That should make you very angry. It certainly infuriated us, which is why we just took urgent legal action to expose and stop it immediately.

As originally revealed by a post on the social media platform X (Twitter), during an anti-terrorism presentation held at Fort Liberty, the North Carolina Army base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a slide was presented classifying pro-life groups such as Operation Rescue and National Right to Life as “Terrorist Groups.” According to the post, the pro-life slide immediately followed a slide about the Middle-Eastern Islamic terrorist militia ISIS.

As stated in the post:

The slide goes on to mention activities which these organizations participate in which include being Pro-Life, opposing Row v Wade [sic], demonstrating and protesting (a 1st Amendment protected right), “Truth Displays,” and picketing.

They also falsely attribute the bombing of abortion clinics to National Right to Life.

Keep in mind they’re not just labeling them as extremist organizations (which would still be crazy), but as terrorist organizations.

As you can see, the slide not only labeled Operation Rescue (our client) and the National Right to Life (which organizes the March for Life each year) as “Terrorist Groups,” it also included pro-life sidewalk counselors (whom we represent at the U.S. Supreme Court), pro-life “crisis” Pregnancy Resource Centers (many of whom we also represent), and even everyday Americans who have “Choose Life” license plates.

Our troops have enough to worry about as it is, without political forces trying to throw Left-wing, anti-life rhetoric into their training. It’s a twisted attempt to paint pro-life Americans – and lifesaving pro-life organizations that have worked tirelessly to offer desperate mothers counseling, information, and alternatives to killing their babies – as terrorists, which is nothing short of un-American.

Now Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have demanded answers from Army leadership. As explained in an official statement:

U.S. Representatives Jim Banks (R-IN), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, and Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, led their Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army, demanding answers on a Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) training held at Fort Liberty that characterized pro-life organizations as terrorist groups. . . .

[T]he members wrote, “We write today to express our outrage at a Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) training held at Fort Liberty that characterized pro-life organizations as ‘terrorist groups.’ The training labeled several prominent and well-respected pro-life groups as violent extremists. The training also indicated the members of these organizations are threats to the safety of military installations and designated symbols of pro-life groups, including state-issued pro-life license plates, as indicators of terrorism. This is truly shocking for an organization that insists on treating everyone with ‘dignity and respect.’”

The letter went on to urge Army brass:

to immediately issue a correction to all servicemembers who received this briefing, to implement rules to ensure officials do not make similar claims in the Army’s name in the future, and to discipline those individuals responsible for spreading such false and divisive claims. Additionally, the Army must reassess Army Directive 2024-07, to ensure that certain conservative and religious beliefs that are outside the progressive left ideology popular in military leadership, are not swept in as extremist activity for “advocating or engaging in unlawful force or violence to achieve goals that are political, religious, or discriminatory or ideological in nature.”

It is encouraging to see Members of Congress taking action to defend pro-life Americans from being mischaracterized and potentially mistreated, although it’s also worthy of note that every Representative on the letter is a Republican. But as we’ve said many times, this radical Left worships at the altar of abortion and is fully committed to strengthening its vile grip on our country.

That is exactly why your ACLJ took action as well, filing an urgent

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding all information regarding this offensive so-called anti-terrorism briefing that labeled pro-life advocates as terrorists. It’s disgusting that anyone who believes in the sanctity of life should be viewed as a violent terrorist. We are demanding answers for how long this briefing was used and why proper authorities didn’t vet it. We won’t stand for the Department of Defense labeling almost half of Americans as terrorists. In addition, we now represent Operation Rescue in this matter.

We understand that this behavior can be expected from Members on Capitol Hill, but now this anti-life rhetoric is infecting our military. That cannot be allowed to continue. We await the official response from the military, and we are preparing to take further legal action on behalf of our client, Operation Rescue. We will continue to keep you informed as the situation progresses.

UPDATE 07/25/2024: According to a statement from Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth released after the Army received our FOIA, the slide used in the presentation equating pro-life organizations such as our client Operation Rescue to terrorists has been in use “for at least the last seven years.” For the better part of a decade, the Department of Defense has effectively been training our soldiers to view pro-lifers as a threat on the level of ISIS or Hamas. This is an outrage.

The ACLJ legal team is working to determine the most appropriate response, as we anticipate additional records being revealed as a result of our FOIA which we will share with you.