Who Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is: A powerful anti-abortion legal organization that’s been classified as a hate group for their extremism.
How they operate: Cherry-picking anti-abortion judges to hear their cases—taking away reproductive rights from people across the country.
Why it matters: They drafted and defended the law that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade—and they’re not stopping there.
⚡️ TL; DR (too long, didn’t read):
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has been critical in taking away reproductive freedom across the country—from helping draft and defending the law that overturned Roe v. Wade, to undermining contraceptive access.
ADF has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They purposefully champion unpopular, extremist legislation and cherry-picki anti-abortion judges who will rule in their favor and impose bans on reproductive care through the courts.
ADF defends abortion bans in courts when they are inevitably challenged for their extremism. They also defend other extreme anti-freedom measures that impact access to contraception, emergency abortion care, and more.
They cherry-pick judges
ADF cherry-picks judges who they know share their extremist beliefs. Many federal judges have notable connections with Alliance Defending Freedom.
They challenge rulings against their extreme beliefs
ADF champions total abortion bans, represents states that are making reproductive health care inaccessible to millions, defends extremists who protest reproductive care clinics, challenges the right to emergency abortion care, and more. ADF has led key fights against LGBTQIA+ communities in the courts, especially focused on attacking transgender rights, and gender-affirming care.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) lists ADF as a hate group because of its anti-LGBTQIA+ extremism.
Harm: 💔💔💔💔💔
Bans like the ones that ADF defends havedenied people emergency medical care, led to trauma and preventable deaths, and criminalized patients, providers, and helpers—creating fear, hardship, and confusion for doctors and families nationwide. Their efforts jeopardize rights and health care access for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Lies & Disinformation: 🤥🤥🤥🤥🤥
In the courts, ADF pushes disinformation about contraception and emergency contraception, defends baseless restrictions to abortion care, and champions lies from anti-abortion protestors who claim their protest was a religious ceremony.
👺 Notable Connections
Litigator and Vice President at ADF
Erin Hawley
Hawley argued court cases attacking mifepristone and she's representing an anti-abortion center in an upcoming Supreme Court Case. She worked on the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade and is married to an anti-abortion U.S. Senator, Josh Hawley.
U.S. Solicitor General Sauer
John Sauer
The man now responsible for representing the federal government in front of the Supreme Court participated in numerous ADF trainings.
Throughout his career, John Sauer has led litigation to undermine access to reproductive health care, partnered with anti-abortion organizations, and gave substantial funds to organizations that oppose access to abortion and contraception.
President of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)
Kristen Waggoner
As president of Alliance Defending Freedom, Kristen Waggoner has led efforts to use the organization’s vast legal network to advance an extreme anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQIA+ agenda through the courts.
Under Waggoner’s leadership, ADF served as legal counsel with Mississippi in the landmark Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade, and brought the ongoing lawsuit that aims to challenge FDA approval of mifepristone.
Reproductive Freedom for All is made up of members across the country who believe that everybody should be free to control their own bodies and lives—and we want you to be a part of it.
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