LANSING, Michigan (LifeSiteNews) — Pro-life organizations in Michigan are challenging a state law they say will force them to hire individuals opposed to the pro-life cause, in the name of prohibiting “sex discrimination.”

On February 6, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Right to Life of Michigan (which lobbies and educates against abortion) and Pregnancy Resource Center (which provides life-affirming care to women in need), concerning the state’s amendment of its employment discrimination law’s definition of “sex” to include “termination of a pregnancy” and to remove its previous language that previously made clear that pregnancy-related medical conditions did not include “nontherapeutic abortions.” The state also repealed its Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act, which previously permitted employers to not cover abortion in health insurance plans.

These changes, ADF says, mean that state pro-life groups would now run afoul of the state Employment Clause, which forbids basing hiring or firing decisions on “sex,” if they required prospective employees to adhere to their pro-life values, which in turn would defeat the purpose of hiring them for pro-life tasks.

“The [Michigan Department of Civil Rights] also confirmed under oath that the Employment Clause would require a mission-focused or religious organization to hire someone who disagrees with their views so long as the applicant could nonetheless explain the organization’s views,” the suit says. “Michigan’s House Fiscal Agency explained that the Employment Clause prohibits ‘discrimination and adverse employment actions based on whether an individual is considering having an abortion or on their decision to have an abortion’ and stated that one purpose of adding ‘termination of a pregnancy’ to Michigan’s employment law was to ‘align’ it ‘with federal law.’”

“It makes no sense to force pro-life organizations to hire employees who disagree with that view. Pro-life groups should be free to share the message of hope and joy with women and families experiencing a difficult season through employees who share their common goal,” argued ADF Senior Counsel Bryan Neihart. “Right to Life and Pregnancy Resource Center both recognize that every woman deserves real support to make the healthiest choice for her and her unborn baby. But Michigan’s law forces these organizations to contradict their beliefs and to employ staff who endorse abortion—a decision that harms women and ends innocent lives.”

MLive reports that the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker, although no date has been set. A similar law is currently being challenged in New York, as well.

The Wolverine State has been solidly in the control of hard-left leadership for years. In 2022, voters enacted Proposal 3, the so-called “Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative,” which embedded abortion up to birth in the state constitution, which was later used to strike down even modest abortion regulations. Last year, the Michigan Department of Education announced an update to the state’s Health Education Standards Guidelines, which called for exposing children as young as 11 to discussion of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual activity.