Students for Life of America v. Gillespie

On November 20, 2024, a coalition of organizations, including Students for Life of America, Midwest Bible Church, Pro-Life Action League, Illinois Right to Life, Clapham School, and DuPage Precision Products, filed a federal lawsuit against Illinois officials, including Governor J.B. Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Represented by Thomas More Society, the plaintiffs challenge Illinois laws mandating health insurance coverage for elective abortions and abortion-inducing drugs without cost-sharing, offering no exemptions for religious or moral objectors.

TMS attorneys argue thatthese laws violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments by forcing plaintiffs, who hold sincere religious beliefs that life begins at conception and view abortion as murder, to subsidize abortions through premiums, infringing their free exercise of religion and expressive association rights. The laws also allegedly conflict with federal statutes, including 18 U.S.C. §§ 1461–1462, the Coates–Snowe Amendment, and the Weldon Amendment. The plaintiffs, including individuals and employers, face injury by being unable to access abortion-free insurance, compelling them to either fund abortions or forgo sufficient coverage. The lawsuit seeks to enjoin enforcement of these laws and require insurers to offer abortion-free policies, ensuring premiums do not subsidize abortions, upholding the plaintiffs’ freedom of conscience.