Massachusetts Woman Wants to Bring Choose Life Plates to Bay State

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 5, 2006   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Massachusetts Woman Wants to Bring Choose Life Plates to Bay State Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 5, 2006

Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) — A Massachusetts woman is leading an effort to bring Choose Life license plates to the Bay State. Merry Nordeen is putting together supporters to allow state residents to purchase the plates for their cars — with proceeds from the plates funding adoption centers.

However, as has happened in other states, abortion advocates may file a lawsuit seeking to block the state from selling them.

The Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts told AP that the state government should not be sanctioning plates that have what it considers a controversial and one-sided political message.

Diane Luby, the group’s president and chief executive said the abortion business "believes that state government should not be sanctioning political messages on license plates."

Massachusetts already has about a dozen specialty plates that promote environmental, sports, and charitable causes.

Nordeen, having read about the Choose Life license plate in other states wanted one of her own. After finding that Massachusetts did not have the Choose Life license plate, she decided to head up the effort to get one here.

To get the plates in Massachusetts, Nordeen’s group needs 3,000 state residents to complete a registration form and pay $40 to the Motor Vehicles department for the plate.

"Once we submit 3000 applications to the registry, the state will begin the creation of the plates," Nordeen explained. "This process can take up to 6 months."

As is the case in other states, money from the sales of the plates would benefit maternity homes and pregnancy resource centers who offer adoption as an alternative to abortion.

"Funds generated by Massachusetts’ Choose Life specialty license plate will assist women with the expenses of a full term pregnancy-such as medical bills, temporary housing, transportation, utility bills, food, maternity clothing, and similar expenses of infants-until placed with an adoptive family," a web site supporting the plates says.

The proposal for the license plate is similar to ones used in other states and the plate in Florida, the first state to have Choose Life plates on the road. It features a child’s drawing on a boy and girl on a yellow background and the words, "Choose Life."

Specialty plates in Massachusetts do not need legislative approval, so abortion advocates could start an effort to have their own plates.

ACTION: Go to the Massachusetts Choose Life plate web site at https://www.machoose-life.org and fill out a registration form to get your Choose Life plate.

Related web sites:
National Choose Life plate effort – https://www.choose-life.org