Sanctity of Human Life

CLS joined a coalition letter to U.S. Senators requesting they reject the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf for FDA Commissioner.

The letter highlights the following: (1) Califf’s role in the FDA’s 2016 decision to remove critical chemical abortion reporting requirements; (2) how the Califf-approved FDA reporting changes have recklessly undermined data on chemical abortion complications and obscured the true risks of the drug; and (3) exhaustive studies demonstrating the data that the FDA has chosen to use to assess the risk of mail-order abortion is “woefully inadequate.”

In May 2024, CLS joined a number of pro-life organizations in opposing S. 1999, the Right to Contraceptives Act, a bill intended to codify the legal right to obtain and provide contraception. In addition, CLS separately wrote to a number of senators asking them to vote against cloture on the bill specifically because it contained a carveout of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (“RFRA”), which is the primary federal safeguard of all Americans’ religious freedom. Thankfully, Senate Republicans blocked action on the legislation when all but two Republicans present voted against advancing the legislation. Democrats, who unanimously supported it, were left nine votes short of the 60 they would need to take up the bill.

Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Banks (R-IN) reintroduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on January 15, 2025. This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Specifically, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. The bill also provides that an individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. CLS was among a group of pro-life organizations that supported the bill.

In 2026, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) introduced the Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act of 2025, H.R. 2226, which will prohibit federal, state and local governments from discriminating against pregnancy care centers because of their life-affirming viewpoint and mission. Despite the important work of pregnancy care centers, there are many states working to censor, intimidate, or even close them. For instance, pregnancy centers in New Jersey and Washington were forced to defend themselves by filing lawsuits after being alleged targeted by their respective state attorneys general. The Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act ensures pregnancy resource centers and pro-life centers are not discriminated against and are able to carry out their services, including providing emotional support, access to prenatal and pregnancy care, and supplies to expecting mothers. CLS joined other pro-life organizations in support of this important legislation.