When pro-life journalist David Daleiden started working to expose the atrocities of abortion, he knew he would face extreme opposition.
Since sharing videos of Planned Parenthood’s violence against the unborn, he’s spent time in prison and faced financial ruin in exchange for sharing the truth.
But he hasn’t given up, because he has support from individuals and ministries across the country — like the Thomas More Society, a legal non-profit firm that has defended him in court.
But their work for Mr. Daleiden is just the beginning of how the Thomas More Society is making an impact for Christ.
“I take my work as an undercover journalist seriously, and so does the Thomas More Society,” Daleiden said. He came to the Thomas More Society for legal help once Planned Parenthood started to attack him legally and financially.
The Thomas More Society, a national public-interest law firm, was founded in 1997 in order to defend pro-life activist Joseph Scheidler. Scheidler was in danger of being silenced by pro-abortion organizations, but thanks to the Thomas More Society, he prevailed in court.
David Daleiden found the same help when the Society stepped up to defend him.
“As I have been sued by Planned Parenthood and persecuted by the abortion lobby for exposing their illegal trafficking of baby body parts, the attorneys from the Thomas More Society have been there to defend me and my Constitutional rights,” Daleiden said.
The Thomas More Society is dedicated to “restoring respect in law for life, family, and religious liberty.” Based in Chicago, the firm provides pro bono (free) legal services for individuals and ministries who need defense in the courtroom.
The firm has represented clients in cases across the country, working in all levels of the court system including all the way up to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The Thomas More Society focuses on working in cases that impact several areas of public life in the United States – free speech rights, family values, the free expression of religion, and laws that protect human life “from conception to natural death.”
By taking on these types of cases, the law firm strives to honor the ideals of its namesake, the English lawyer Sir Thomas More, who served as Chancellor of England from 1529 to 1533.
A humanist and gifted lawyer, More was pressured by King Henry VIII to support the King’s self-appointment as Head of the Church of England and to defend the King’s divorce from his first wife, Catherine.
But More could not, in good conscience, support either of these actions.
So he stepped down from his role as Chancellor, saying, “When statesmen forsake their own private consciences for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.”
“I am the King’s good servant—but God’s first,” More testified. He sacrificed his reputation, his job, and ultimately his life for this firmly held belief.
Now, Sir Thomas More is known as the patron saint of attorneys, statesmen, and politicians. The Thomas More Society upholds his legacy by modeling “peaceful and stalwart adherence” to the principles of life, religious liberty, and family values.
“The Thomas More Society combines outstanding legal work with an exceptional passion for defending pro-life advocates,” says David Daleiden. “They achieve consistent victories, from municipal courtrooms all the way up to the United States Supreme Court.”
The attorneys who work for the Society know that their roles as lawyers is critical in today’s culture. They are public servants, but they are God’s servants first, defending the rights of those who seek to follow in His footsteps on earth.
In the case involving Planned Parenthood, Daleiden said, “The attorneys at this nonprofit public interest law firm have an excellent grasp of the biology, ethics, and social implications that affirm the pro-life message.”
“They understand the dark agenda promoted by those who take advantage of women and their children through the barbaric practice of industrial-scale abortion. We need this fine organization to safeguard our pro-life values and defend our unborn brothers and sisters.”
Currently, the Thomas More Society is primarily working in cases involving abortion, but the firm remains open to clients struggling with other unjust laws.
They are also supporting a new project this holiday season to display nativity scenes at all 50 state capitol buildings across the country.
You can read more about that in our article, “Nativity Scenes at all 50 State Capitols.”
CLD has also reported on their work in another article, Student’s Religious Freedom Violated When Forced to Write the Islamic Conversion Creed.
Additionally, the Society hosts events such as film screenings and conferences to raise awareness of important social and legal issues. The Society also sends speakers to locations around the country by request.
If you want to learn more about the ministry of the Thomas More Society, or if you’d like to know how to give to this important legal work, visit the Society’s website.
Keep this law firm in your prayers as it seeks to defend the unborn and the persecuted!
