Choose Life license plates

History

In 1997, Choose Life, Inc. collected the 10,000 signatures and US$30,000 required under Florida law at the time to submit an application for a new specialty plate, and State Senator Tom Lee sponsored a bill in support of the tag's creation. The bill passed both houses of the Florida Legislature in early 1998, but was vetoed by then-Governor Lawton Chiles, who stated that license plates are not the "proper forum for debate" on political issues. While campaigning for the governorship later in 1998, Jeb Bush stated that, if elected, he would sign a Choose Life bill if approved by the legislature. Choose Life, Inc. went forward with the plate application again, and, after passing both houses, Governor Bush signed it into law on June 8, 1999. Since then, Choose Life, Inc. has been active in helping groups in other states pursue "Choose Life" license plates. As of April 30, 2010, Choose Life, Inc. reported that Choose Life license plates had raised over $12 million. On June 21, 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed House Bill 501, which directs the funds from the plates directly to Choose Life, Inc.Virginia Chamlee, June 22, 2011, Scott signs ‘Choose Life’ bill into law

http://floridaindependent.com/35692/rick-scott-choose-life%5B%5D

Choose Life, Inc. is a non-profit organization, funded by donations and the sale of promotional items, such as T-shirts and neckties. A specialty license plate can cost an additional $25 – US$70 per year. Allocation of funds varies by state but funds typically go to crisis pregnancy centers, which are nonprofit organizations established to counsel women against receiving abortions.

States with ''Choose Life'' license plates

As of 2023, Choose Life license plates are available in 34 states and the District of Columbia:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska (2017)
• New Jersey
• North Carolina (2016)
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Wisconsin (2016)

States where Choose Life has been rejected

• Michigan: In 2017, Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a bill proposing the plates, citing "the potential to bitterly divide millions of Michiganders".
• New York: Litigation spanned several years between the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) and the Department of Motor Vehicles. In 2015, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Children First Foundation, Inc. v. Fiala that the DMV's policy to exclude controversial, politically sensitive messages was reasonable and viewpoint-neutral. Following the Supreme Court's decision in Walker v. Texas Division, which affirmed that license plates are government speech, the ADF did not pursue further appeals, and the exclusion of the plates was upheld.
• Rhode Island: Gov. Lincoln Chafee vetoed a bill proposing the plates, citing the inappropriateness of using state license plates to fund religious initiatives.

Reaction and criticism

"Choose Life" license plates have been criticized by abortion rights organizations, which have argued that in authorizing them, but not offering plates conveying a pro-abortion rights message at the same time, states have carried out viewpoint discrimination. To this charge, Russ Amerling, Choose Life, Inc.'s publicity coordinator, replied that "[abortion rights groups] have just as much right to have a plate as we do, as long as they go through the same process we did and not try to piggy-back onto the various states' Choose Life bills". He also said that no "[abortion rights groups] have ever applied for a plate of their own in any state, until an [anti-abortion group] applied for a 'Choose Life' plate."

Prior to 2015, federal circuit courts were split on the constitutionality of "Choose Life" specialty plates. The Fourth Circuit had previously held that issuing an anti-abortion plate without offering a pro-abortion rights equivalent constituted impermissible viewpoint discrimination. Conversely, the Sixth Circuit held that such plates constituted government speech and were therefore permissible.

In June 2015, the United States Supreme Court resolved this split in Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Court ruled 5–4 that specialty license plate designs constitute government speech rather than private speech. As a result, states are not required by the First Amendment to maintain viewpoint neutrality on license plates. This ruling effectively allows states to approve "Choose Life" plates without being legally compelled to offer a corresponding "Pro-Choice" plate, and conversely allows states to reject "Choose Life" plates if they deem the message controversial or inconsistent with state policy. Following Walker, the Supreme Court vacated the Fourth Circuit's previous ruling against North Carolina's plates, and the state began issuing them in 2016.

A small number of states, including Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, have offered license plates that support pro-choice organizations or messages.https://washingtonian.com/2022/08/09/virginia-drivers-are-buying-more-pro-choice-license-plates/

References

References

1. (July 17, 2013). "'Choose Life' License Plate Vetoed By Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee".
2. [http://www.choose-life.org/other-states.php Choose-Life.org], accessed September 2017
3. Palmer, Alyson M. (April 6, 2006). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210617/http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1144228259980 'Choose Life' License Tag May Hit a Bump in the Road]." ''Fulton County Daily Report.'' Retrieved June 23, 2007.
4. Gielow Jacobs, Leslie. (2001). [http://www.flr.law.ufl.edu/pdf/jacobs-article.pdf Free Speech and the Limits of Legislative Discretion: The Example of Specialty License Plates] {{webarchive. link. (September 12, 2006 . ''[[Florida Law Review]], 53 (3)'', 419-432.)
5. Lithwick, Dahlia. (February 6, 2003). "[http://www.slate.com/id/2078247/ Poetic Licenses]." ''Slate.'' Retrieved June 23, 2007.
6. "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_19991124/ai_n10558203 Florida approves `Choose Life' license plate]." (November 24, 1999). ''The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.'' Retrieved June 23, 2007.
7. Olszonowicz, Deborah. (September 1999). [https://archive.today/20070927210150/http://www.ncsl.org/programs/transportation/tranrm_p.htm Motor Vehicle Registration and License Plates]. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
8. Burge, Kathleen. (May 5, 2006). "[http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/05/05/driving_force/ Driving force]." ''Boston Globe.'' Retrieved June 23, 2007.
9. Madigan, Erin. (November 25, 2002). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120205114406/http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=15079 Choose Life Car Tags Spark Debate]." ''Stateline.org''. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
10. Choose Life, Inc. (June 18, 2010). [http://www.choose-life.org/newsletter.html Choose Life Newsletter] {{webarchive. link. (May 28, 2010 . Retrieved June 18, 2010.)
11. "Personalized License Plate".
12. "The "Choose Life" License Plate is Approved in Washington, D.C.". The Children First Foundation.
13. Wangsness, Lisa. (June 18, 2010). "[http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/18/antiabortion_message_for_specialty_plates/ Antiabortion message for specialty plate]." ''Boston Globe.'' Retrieved June 18, 2010.
14. (20 February 2020). "Options Clinic". Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division.
15. (6 April 2017). "Ricketts signs bill creating 'Choose Life' specialty license plates". Omaha World-Herald.
16. "The New Jersey Choose Life License Plate is Now Available". The Children First Foundation.
17. (10 March 2016). "Court rules whether N.C. can make "Choose Life" plates". CBS News.
18. "TxDMV-Special Plate Order Application".
19. "Controversial pro-life license plate approved". Appleton Post-Crescent.
20. Press, Associated. (2017-06-30). "Snyder vetoes proposed 'Choose Life' license plate".
21. "CHILDREN FIRST FOUNDATION INC v. FIALA (2015)".
22. Hurst, Sarah E. (2003). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120207180206/http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/lawjournal/issues/volume64/number3/hurst.pdf A One Way Street to Unconstitutionality: The “Choose Life” Specialty License Plate]. ''Ohio State Law Journal, 64 (3)'', 957-998. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
23. The [[Center for Reproductive Rights]]. (August 2002). [http://www.reproductiverights.org/pub_fac_licplates.html "Choose Life" License Plates] {{webarchive. link. (July 1, 2007 . Retrieved June 24, 2007.)
24. (2016-03-10). "North Carolina can issue anti-abortion "Choose Life" license plates, federal appeals court rules - CBS News".
25. "Planned Parenthood of South Carolina, Inc. v. Rose, 236 F. Supp. 2d 564 (D.S.C. 2002)". Justia Law.
26. Dussich, Rebecca. (2015-01-27). "Specialty License Plates as Government Speech: How the Supreme Court Is Likely to Resolve a Five-Way Circuit Split".
27. "CHILDREN FIRST FOUNDATION INC v. FIALA (2015)".
28. (2016-03-10). "North Carolina can issue anti-abortion "Choose Life" license plates, federal appeals court rules - CBS News".