By CAL Staff
Christian Action League
October 6, 2016

The Choose Life license plate movement that started in Ocala, Florida, in 1996, is now a reality in the Tar Heel state.

The legislation for a North Carolina pro-life specialty plate was first introduced by former Rep. Mitch Gillespie, who now serves as Senior Policy Advisor for the North Carolina Speaker of the House. Measures for the plate had little traction until June of 2011, when the tag was approved along with more than 75 others.

Pro-choice organizations argued that authorizing a Choose Life license plate without also authorizing a plate conveying a pro-choice message would amount to viewpoint discrimination by the state. Pro-life organizations argued that the encouragement of childbirth was a legitimate governmental objective. Therefore, the state has a right, even an obligation, to adopt it as government speech.

When abortion forces challenged the plates in court, U.S. District Court Judge James Fox ordered an injunction against their production and ruled against them in 2012. Fox’s ruling was appealed to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and a three-judge panel of the court unanimously ruled in February of 2012 that offering the pro-life plate without also offering a pro-abortion one was unconstitutional.

The Fourth Circuit, however, reversed their ruling in March of this year after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Justices on the Fourth Circuit to take another look at the case in light of the High Court’s 2015 decision in a Texas license plate case. The Supreme Court ruled in that case that the specialty plates did represent government speech, which also allowed Texas to refuse plates that featured the Confederate flag.

Choose Life license plates are now being mailed to their applicants.

North Carolina’s pro-life champion, Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam (R-Wake), recently sent out an email blast to his friends and colleagues expressing his excitement in receiving his new tag.

“On Tuesday, September 27^th, I received a very special package in the mail containing my new North Carolina ‘Choose Life’ license plate! It is now proudly displayed on my car. I want to express special thanks to Rep. Mitch Gillespie whose tireless work for so many years made this possible,” said Stam.

Stam went on to explain how those interested in getting a plate for themselves could do so.

“If you would like to get your plate, an application is now available from the DMV online…$15 of the fee goes to support Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship (CPC). Last year CPC distributed money to 28 different pregnancy support centers around the state and will continue to do so. The new revenue from license plate sales may be used for counseling and other services that meet the physical needs of pregnant women,” wrote Stam.

“You know, I think this situation shows us that no matter how hopeless some interest in the cause of righteousness may seem, we can never, never, never, give up,” said Dr. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. “When we persevere despite what may appear to be a lost cause, we can eventually see it found.”

North Carolina is the 28^th state to offer a Choose Life plate. Sales of the tags across the nation have raised more than $21 million since 2014.

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