Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America

In 2007, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America named a “Human Life Amendment” among the legislation in which it was interested. [SBA-List.org via Archive.org, captured 8/3/07]

The Human Life Amendment would amend the Constitution to end legal abortion and potentially ban several of the most common forms of birth control.

“Pro-life activists are now focusing their attention on states for a new tactic to end abortion. Activists in at least half a dozen states are pursuing constitutional amendments called Human Life Amendments that would grant legal status and rights to an embryo.” [NPR, 1/22/08]

In 2012, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America defended Todd Akin following his remark that “legitimate rape” rarely results in pregnancy, even though most Republican groups pulled their support for the controversial candidate…

“Republican leadership has a not so-subtle-hint for Todd Akin: They would like the Missouri Senate candidate, who remarked that ‘legitimate rape’ rarely results in pregnancy, out of the race — and sooner rather than later. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has pulled $5 million in ads and multiple senators have demanded he step down.…Pro-life groups, however, have taken a decidedly different take. Both the Susan B. Anthony List and Family Research Council have stood by Akin. They don’t see him as a politician who has made a career ending gaffe. In their view, he’s a strong abortion right opponent who articulated a tenet of the pro-life movement: Abortion should be illegal in all situations, rape included.  ‘Todd Akin … has a record of voting to protect human life,’ said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, reaffirming her support in a statement. He ‘has been an excellent partner in the fight for the unborn.’” [Washington Post, 8/21/12]

… This is unsurprising considering Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s close association with the Life Issues Institute, whose founder, Dr. Jack C. Willke, pioneered the “legitimate rape” argument.

“Bradley Mattes is president of Life Issues Institute, the pro-life grassroots partner of the Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The organization was founded by pro-life pioneer Dr. John C. Willke and Brad in 1991 to serve the educational needs of the pro-life movement. Its primary objective is to globally develop and disseminate effective pro-life educational material.” [SBA List, accessed 11/16/18]

• Willke asserted a theory that a woman’s body protects her from pregnancy in the case of rape, a theory that led to Akin’s claim that if a rape is a “legitimate rape,” a woman can’t get pregnant.

“In ‘Why Can’t We Love Them Both: Questions and Answers About Abortion,’ a book that Willke published in 1971 with his wife, they claim that the trauma associated with ‘assault rape’ makes a woman’s body less habitable and thus lessens the possibility of pregnancy, the Los Angeles Times reports.” [Politico, 8/22/12]

Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America  joined the “Life And Marriage Coalition” that formed in August 2012. 

According to Right Wing Watch, “A number of Religious Right organizations are coming together for an election season coalition to attack President Obama in swing states. The Family Research Council, National Organization for Marriage, The Family Leader, Concerned Women for America, American Principles Project, the Susan B. Anthony List and Common Sense Issues have joined the ‘Life and Marriage Coalition,’ which FRC head Tony Perkins said is needed to defeat Obama’s ‘anti-marriage and anti-life policies.’” [Right Wing Watch, 8/28/12]

• Dannenfelser’s statement on the coalition: “if we value marriage and want to stop government funding of abortion groups, we must defeat Barack Obama.” 

According to a Life and Marriage Coalition press release, “A coalition of the nation’s most prominent conservative social issue groups (www.lifeandmarriagecoalition.com) today announced that they are coordinating efforts in Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina to talk about the importance of preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and supporting the sanctity of human life. … Combined efforts will include independent expenditures for radio advertisements, billboards, phone and bus tour events designed to educate and mobilize socially conservative voters in the three targeted states. […] Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List added, ‘We will work together as national groups and partner with local pro-family organizations to make sure that voters know that if we value marriage and want to stop government funding of abortion groups, we must defeat Barack Obama.’” [Life and Marriage Coalition, August 2012]

Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America partnered with the National Organization for Marriage to run ads against Barbara Boxer.

“A new Spanish language ad from the Susan B. Anthony List, a Republican group that opposes abortion, and the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes gay marriage, attacks Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., on its core issues, saying that Boxer ‘doesn’t share our values’ because she ‘supports abortion and homosexual marriage.’” [PolitiFact, 10/8/10]

Marjorie Dannenfelser is the president and founder of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Dannenfelser has stated that “rape exceptions” to abortion bans are “abominable” and “intellectually dishonest,” and seeks to ban abortion in almost all cases. Dannenfelser also served as the head of Donald Trump’s “Pro-Life Coalition” during the 2016 campaign and has close ties to the Trump White House. Dannenfelser has been lobbying senators on the so-called “Born Alive Abortion Survivor Protection Act.” 

Jill Stanek is the national campaign chair for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. In 2001, Stanek testified before the House Judiciary Committee and claimed that all abortion is “infanticide.” More recently, Stanek was arrested alongside anti-abortion extremist Troy Newman while protesting in favor of an abortion ban, and posted a blog post to her website titled “The Case Against Homosexual Adoption.” Stanek also has a history of making highly inflammatory comments about LGBTQ individuals, slavery and the Holocaust.

Sean Fieler is a prominent donor to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and former director at the organization. Fieler is the founder of the Chiaroscuro Foundation, which spends millions contributing to anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ groups and candidates. Fieler has provided funding for a “think tank” that is critical of masturbation, divorce and birth control and funded a campaign to impose strict new rules on bathroom use for transgender individuals. Fieler has a history of defaming LGBTQ individuals and was fined for failing to report $200,000 in spending on a campaign to block California’s transgender student rights law. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America also shares an office building and works hand-in-hand with American Principles Project, a conservative nonprofit funded by Fieler.

Marilyn Musgrave is the vice president of government affairs at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Musgrave is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she introduced legislation to amend the U.S. Constitution define marriage as a “union of one man and one woman.” Musgrave has a long history of anti-LGBTQ activities and statements, including claims that redefining marriage would lead to “polygamy or group marriage.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser was closely tied with the Trump Administration and often attended White House events.

Dannenfelser attended Trump’s inauguration in 2017. [@Marjoriesba, Twitter, 1/20/17]

In February 2017, Dannenfelser was at the White House with other conservative leaders to discuss Neil Gorsuch’s SCOTUS nomination. [White House, 2/1/17]

In April 2017, Dannenfelser was at the White House with HHS Administrator Seema Verma after Trump signed a bill allowing states to withhold federal funds from abortion providers. [C-Span, 4/13/17]

In May 2018, President Trump gave remarks at the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America 11th Annual Campaign for Life Gala. [White House, 5/22/18] 

In September 2018, Dannenfelser attended the confirmation hearings of SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh. [@MarjorieSBA, Twitter, 9/27/18]

On February 14, 2019: Trump met with Marjorie Dannenfelser at the White House.

“Earlier in the day, the president and aides met with top antiabortion leader Marjorie Dannenfelser and several other activists who call themselves ‘abortion survivors.’ On a call with reporters, Dannenfelser described Trump as ‘the most pro-life-acting president who has ever been.’” [Washington Post, 2/15/19]

Trump’s health department proposed a rule to reduce abortion access for low- income women days after Dannenfelser penned an op-ed asking HHS to issue such a rule. 

Less than 24 hours after the 2018 midterms, HHS announced a proposed rule to require separation of billing in ACA health plans for the part of coverage related to abortion services…

“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the branch of HHS that oversees much of the ACA, proposed a new rule on Wednesday that is similar in spirit, requiring a greater separation of billing in ACA health plans for the part of coverage relating to abortion services that cannot be paid for with federal money.  HHS officials downplayed the impact of the contraceptive rules, as they did when first proposing the idea. They predicted that the exemptions will be invoked by ‘no more than approximately 200 employers’ and affect the coverage of birth control for perhaps 6,400 women.” [Washington Post, 11/7/18]

… Marjorie Dannenfelser and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins urged HHS to issue a new rule requiring separate payment for abortion services just one week before HHS issued the proposed rule.

“In just a few days, Americans will have the opportunity to purchase ObamaCare insurance plans either through the federal exchange or state-based exchange. Unfortunately, many consumers who sign up for coverage will end up paying a hidden abortion surcharge as a part of their monthly premium. As we enter the second open enrollment period of the Trump administration, we encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a new rule shedding daylight on the abortion surcharge and giving consumers the right to refrain from paying it.” [Marjorie Dannenfelser & Tony Perkins, The Hill, 10/30/18]

Marjorie Dannenfelser Promised Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Would Spend $41 Million To Elect Anti-Abortion Congresspersons And Donald Trump In 2020, As Well As Continue To Back State-Based Reforms. 

“The president of the nation’s largest anti-abortion advocacy group said Monday night it would spend $41 million in the 2020 cycle to re-elect President Trump and “pro-life” members of Congress while advocating for more abortion restrictions at the state level. The goal, said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, is to eventually overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established a woman’s right to abortion.” [The Hill 6/03/19]

Trump’s health department cancelled a contract for fetal tissue after pressure from anti-abortion groups.

“Anti-abortion groups — normally staunch allies of the Trump administration — have turned their fire on the health department, accusing the agency of being complicit in abortions by refusing to end research projects using fetal tissue. The simmering fight spilled into public view on Monday night, as HHS abruptly terminated one longstanding contract with a fetal tissue provider while opening an audit of all federally funded research and practices related to fetal tissue, which is mostly obtained from abortions. The health department, which cited “the serious regulatory, moral, and ethical considerations involved” in using fetal tissue, also pledged to seek alternatives to fetal tissue for research purposes. HHS, FDA and the National Institutes of Health declined to make leaders available for interviews.” [Politico, 9/28/18]

• An unnamed FDA spokesperson said fetal tissue has been used “where it is critical to understanding the safety of drugs and vaccines.”

“But an FDA spokesperson told POLITICO that fetal tissue “has been used in situations where it is critical to understanding the safety of drugs and vaccines and in which it couldn’t be feasibly achieved through another means. This work has led to a better understanding of a number of conditions and diseases that affect millions of Americans.””  [Politico, 9/28/18]

Washington Post: anti-abortion groups’ influence on pro-life Trump administration crystallized with its targeting of fetal tissue research.

“Since HHS announced in late September a wide-ranging audit of the use of fetal tissue in federally funded research, groups that have long sought to outlaw its use say they are finally being heard. They view such research as morally repugnant and unnecessary because they contend other techniques can be used — an assertion many scientists reject. ‘This is a pro-life administration,’ said David Prentice, vice president and research director of the antiabortion Charlotte Lozier Institute, who said members of his group and the affiliated Susan B. Anthony List have met with Pence to press their case. ‘It’s just nice to have someone who will listen and not just close the door in your face.’” [Washington Post, 12/12/18]

Former President Donald Trump spoke at the 2018 Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America gala to tout his administration’s changes to the Title X family planning program.

“Trump used SBA’s gala to tout his administration’s changes to the Title X family planning program that would effectively eliminate funding for abortion providers including Planned Parenthood — the longtime foe of the anti-abortion movement. And he called for electing anti-abortion Republicans this fall to further his agenda, including ensuring that any Supreme Court hopeful he nominates can win confirmation in the closely divided Senate.” [Politico, 5/22/18]

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America encouraged attendees to its annual conference to stay at the Trump International Hotel and reserved a block of rooms.

“The Trump White House and SBA List are so in sync that the group encouraged guests at Tuesday’s bash to stay at the Trump International Hotel. The organization even held a contest to win a trip to the gala that includes free accommodations at the venue. An SBA List spokeswoman said the group had already reserved a bloc of rooms at the Trump hotel, adding that it was ‘fun’ for its attendees to stay at a Trump venue.” [Politico, 5/22/18]

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America provided OASH Chief of Staff Steven Valentine with fact sheets and documents regarding reallocating funding from Planned Parenthood.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Policy Director Autumn Christensen emailed Steven Valentine several documents and “fact sheets” regarding reallocating funds from Planned Parenthood.

[EF FOIA Response, Steven Valentine Emails, Obtained 8/16/18, page 238-244]

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America officials directly emailed Steven Valentine recommendations for “strongly pro-life” candidates for the position of deputy assistant secretary for the Office Of Population Affairs.

In January 2018, Autumn Christensen of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America sent an email to an AAPLOG staff member requesting “pro-life candidates” for the deputy assistant secretary for the Office Of Population Affairs…

• Christensen noted that “with the right person in place, we see strong opportunities to redirect the program away from funding Planned Parenthood and instead toward funding comprehensive women’s health centers like community health centers.”

[EF FOIA Response, Steven Valentine Emails, Obtained 8/16/18, page 215]

… And on January 17, 2018, Christensen forwarded a resume for the deputy assistant secretary for the Office Of Population Affairs position to Steven Valentine. [EF FOIA Response, Steven Valentine Emails, Obtained 8/16/18, page 214]

[EF FOIA Response, Steven Valentine Emails, Obtained 8/16/18, pages 214-215]

The watchdog group Campaign For Accountability filed an IRS complaint asking to investigate Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America for abusing its nonprofit status, overpaying outside fundraisers, and failing to disclose payments to firms owned by its corporate directors.

“Today, Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a nonprofit watchdog group focused on public accountability, called on the IRS to investigate the anti-abortion advocacy group Susan B. Anthony List, Inc. (SBA List), for, among other things, abusing its nonprofit status, misleading the IRS, overpaying its outside fundraisers, and failing to disclose payments to firms owned by its corporate directors.” [Campaign For Accountability 5/28/19]

Campaign for accountability alleges that Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s work is “entirely” in the realm of electoral politics, which would be in violation of its tax status.

“SBA List is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, maintains a related 501(c)(3) organization, the Charlotte Lozier Institute Legal Defense Fund, as well as three political action committees (PACs) that are registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).  The PACs include a regular PAC, Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, and two super PACs, Women Speak Out PAC, and Susan B. Anthony List Action PAC.  While 501(c)(4) organizations such as SBA List are allowed to participate in political activities, advocating the election or defeat of particular candidates cannot be a group’s primary purpose. SBA List, however, is devoted entirely to electoral politics.  Its mission is to elect anti-choice politicians, and a significant portion of the money that flows through SBA List’s amalgam of entities is used for political purposes.  Moreover, donations to SBA List increase dramatically during election years.” [Campaign For Accountability 5/28/19]

Campaign For Accountability: “Since 2009, SBA List’s entities have reported inconsistent amounts to the IRS and the FEC Totaling Nearly $2 Million.”

“Beyond its initial application, SBA List has continued to file inaccurate information with either the IRS, the FEC, or both. Nonprofits are required to submit their political spending to the IRS, and PACs must report their spending to the FEC. Since 2009, SBA List’s entities have reported inconsistent amounts to the IRS and the FEC totaling nearly $2 million.” [Campaign For Accountability 5/28/19]

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Told Legislators To Stay The Course With The United States’ Most Extreme Abortion Ban. “[The] recording of the call … provides the clearest examples yet of the strategy that the law’s architects are pursuing to influence legislators and the public amid growing national concerns that abortion bans endanger women’s health care and lives. … They said they see Tennessee’s ban, with its tiny carve-out for life-saving procedures and steep penalties for doctors, as the best example of a law that protects every potential life — even when it means pregnant patients must face serious risks or trauma in the process. The group has released model legislation suggesting it would like to see similar language adopted across the country, not weakened by exceptions.” [ProPublica, 11/15/22]

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America State Policy Director Katie Glenn Said Tennessee’s Abortion Ban Is So Important To The Forced Birth Movement Because It Makes All Abortions, In Effect, Illegal. “She laid out why the anti-abortion movement sees Tennessee’s ban as so important: ‘The way that many state laws work is they’ll say, “Abortion, elective abortion, is generally illegal except in these situations.” … That’s the way they phrase it, is around this word of an “exception,”’ she said. ‘What y’all did is you said, “Elective abortion is illegal all the time.”’” [ProPublica, 11/15/22]

• Katie Glenn Said Needing Medication Abortion Pills Doesn’t Constitute A Real Emergency. “Glenn said cases involving abortion pills should not be permitted under the law because the process takes multiple days. ‘Nothing about that is an emergency,’ she said.” [ProPublica, 11/15/22]
• Katie Glenn Said The Only Situation In Which An Abortion Provider Should Administer Care Is If The Pregnant Person’s Organs Are Failing. “During the call, one activist reminded the group about the law’s strict requirements for doctors. ‘The burden of proof, the onus, is on the doctor to prove that he or she was in the right.’ ‘It’s not that [the doctor] didn’t violate the text of the statute, it’s that they had a justifiable reason to do so,’ said another activist. ‘And that reason — you’ve drawn it very narrowly — is to save her life, to prevent an organ system from failing.’” [ProPublica, 11/15/22]

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Vice President For State Affairs Stephen Billy Said Tennessee Lawmakers Can Look To Restricting Contraception And In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) In The Future. “In the chat, [Tennessee Representative Susan] Lynn asked for advice on answering questions about in vitro fertilization and the morning-after pill. IVF, a fertility treatment, generally involves creating multiple embryos, and some may ultimately be discarded. … The definition of an ‘unborn child’ in Tennessee’s law starts at fertilization. … ‘Maybe your caucus gets to a point next year, two years from now, three years from now, where you do want to talk about IVF, and how to regulate it in a more ethical way, or deal with some of those contraceptive issues,’ said Billy. ‘But I don’t think that that’s the conversation that you need to have now.’ He did not respond to requests for comment.” [ProPublica, 11/15/22]

Stephen Billy’s Comments Lay Bare Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s Goals — And Those Of The Anti-Abortion Movement — To Enact A National Abortion Ban And “Fetal Personhood” Laws. “Billy’s group is, of course, doing a bit of the same and avoiding talking about its ultimate goals, which are a national abortion ban, then fetal personhood under the 14th Amendment. Declaring that every zygote, embryo, and fetus is a legal person would totally ban abortion, criminalize miscarriages, restrict IVF, and could lead to bans on emergency contraception [EC] based on mis- and disinformation about how EC actually works.” [Jezebel, 5/16/22]

The Majority Of Authors Who Published Since Retracted Research Used In Mifepristone Case Are Affiliated With SBA. “Sage, the publisher of the journal, retracted the study on Monday along with two other papers, explaining in a statement that ‘expert reviewers found that the studies demonstrate a lack of scientific rigor that invalidates or renders unreliable the authors’ conclusions.’ It also noted that most of the authors on the paper worked for the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of anti-abortion lobbying group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, and that one of the original peer reviewers had also worked for the Lozier Institute.” [NPR, 2/29/24]

SBA Is Just One Of Several Anti-Abortion Groups That Are Working To Strip Medication-Abortion Access. “Anti-abortion rights groups, including a group of doctors, sued the federal Food and Drug Administration in 2022 over the approval of mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug regimen used in most medication abortions. The pill has been on the market for over 20 years, and is used in more than half abortions nationally. The FDA stands by its research that finds adverse events from mifepristone are extremely rare.” [NPR, 2/29/24]

CLI Vice President Was The Lead Author Of The Retracted Research. “The studies were published in the journal ‘Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology,’ and the lead author for each was James Studnicki, a vice president at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, which is the research arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, one of the country’s leading anti-abortion groups.” [The Hill, 2/6/24]