Background
In recent years, a number of states have established specialty “Choose Life” license plates. The plates cost anywhere between $25 and $70 on top of standard fees. In some cases, money generated from their sale directly supports the activities of antichoice organizations or crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), which often provide biased and medically inaccurate counseling to women seeking a pregnancy test or counseling with regard to an unintended pregnancy. In other cases, the funding goes to organizations that provide services related to adoption. Many of the states with “Choose Life” license plates explicitly prohibit organizations that offer a full range of services, including abortion counseling or referral, from receiving the funds. Reproductive health activists have challenged some of these policies, arguing that it is unconstitutional for a state to endorse one political viewpoint over another, and that the funding of agencies affiliated with churches or religious organizations amounts to establishment of religion.
Highlights
- 32 states allow production of “Choose Life” license plates.
- 17 of the states donate a portion of the proceeds raised to specific antichoice organizations or CPCs.
- 19 of the states donate a portion of the proceeds to agencies or organizations that provide adoption assistance, counseling, training or advertising.
- 1 state uses the funds raised by the plates to pay for roads and road repairs.
- 10 states specifically prohibit the allocation of funds raised by the sale of “Choose Life” license plates to agencies or organizations that provide abortion services, counseling, referrals or advertising.
Topic
United States
Geography
- United States: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Monthly State Policy Updates
Get an overview of state legislative and policy activity in all topics of sexual and reproductive health.