CHICAGO, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Americans United for Life (AUL) today released its sixth annual ranking of the most and least pro-life states. Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and South Dakota top the ranking, while California, Hawaii, and Vermont ranked lowest.

"AUL's annual ranking highlights the significant progress we are making each year toward a more pro-life America," said Dr. Charmaine Yoest, AUL President & CEO. "There is every reason for optimism even in the face of new challenges. Since the election, we have seen a huge outpouring of grassroots support for our work opposing the radically pro-abortion Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) as well as hundreds of inquiries about life-affirming legislation."

While AUL's criteria covers states' treatment of all life issues, final rankings depend largely on each state's enactment of prudent and well-supported laws. Such laws fence in the abortion license granted by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade. Among the laws AUL looks for are informed consent, parental involvement for minors, medically-supported regulation of abortion providers, and limitations on the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion.

"We are making progress -- state by state and law by law -- to build a culture of life in America," said Denise Burke, AUL's Vice President of Legal Affairs. "In states that have passed common-sense limitations on abortion, abortion rates have declined by nearly 20% over the past 10 years. These laws also underscore the growing and irrefutable evidence of the negative impact of abortion on women."

The complete state rankings are available at http://dl.aul.org/your-state and will be featured in the soon-to-be-released Defending Life 2009.

About Defending Life 2009

AUL's annual publication, Def
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