About Us
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Overview
TCDL’s mission is to “aggressively defend the sanctity of human life in Texas and federal courts from conception through natural death.” TCDL accomplishes this mission by providing pro-bono (free) legal representation and support to pro-life organizations and individuals located throughout Texas. TCDL is nonpartisan and therefore does not endorse political parties or candidates. TCDL is closely affiliated with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) which, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, is America’s largest Christian legal group.
History
Texas Center for Defense of Life (TCDL) was incorporated by co-founders Greg Terra and Stephen Casey as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on Jan. 22, 2011, the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in America. Greg and Stephen, both graduates of Regent University School of Law, realized the need for the organization after filing a successful lawsuit on behalf of a 16-year old Austin girl who was being coerced by her parents to have an abortion against her will. The case received national media attention and resulted in the birth of her unborn child, Baby Leah.
Activities
Attorneys with Texas Center for Defense of Life:
- are currently representing a pregnancy resource center in Austin in a federal lawsuit against the City of Austin regarding an unconstitutional ordinance intended to harass pregnancy centers,
- are currently representing a pro-life organization that provides sidewalk counselors outside abortion clinics being harassed by the clinic workers and by the local police,
- have filed lawsuits on behalf of several teenage girls being forced or coerced to have abortions against their will and have directly advised attorneys handling emergency coerced abortion cases in other States,
- represented a pro-life medical resident being required to perform ultrasounds at Planned Parenthood,
- represented the surrogate mother of an unborn child with down’s syndrome being coerced by the biological parents and their attorney to have an abortion,
- taught a one-hour live ‘Webinar’ at ADF national headquarters in Arizona to train other pro-life attorneys how to handle a coerced abortion lawsuit,
- represented a young woman about to give birth to a premature baby where the hospital advised her that they would not take any measures to save the baby’s life after he/she was born, and
- have provided ‘general counsel’ legal support to several Texas-based pregnancy resource centers and other pro-life organizations.
Media
TCDL attorneys have received interview requests from: CNN News, ABC News, Good Morning America, the Dr. Phil show, the Anderson Cooper show, the Dr. Drew show, and many other television, radio, and newspaper outlets.
Public Speaking
TCDL attorneys have appeared in two pro-life documentaries, and have been invited to speak to a variety of pro-life and other groups
