Leslee Unruh

Leslee Unruh is an American anti-abortion advocate and public speaker. Since 1983, she has been active in the anti-abortion movement and abstinence until marriage movement with organizations based in South Dakota. She has been vocal in state and national government, previously serving as Executive Director to the VoteYesForLife.com campaign.^[1]

Leslee Unruh
Years active	1984–present
Known for	Anti-abortion advocacy
Spouse	Allen Unruh

Organizations

Omega Maternity Home

In 1983, Leslee Unruh founded the Omega Maternity Home in Sioux Falls, SD. Omega Maternity Home provided a “home environment that encourages these young women to set goals for their lives and learn to become independent” as well as giving “the tools to survive and develop so they will not need to rely on welfare programs.”^[2] A licensed social worker was on staff, available to provide counseling and aftercare programs for the women.^[3] The maternity home was run on private donations. Omega Maternity Home was open until 1994.

National Abstinence Clearinghouse

In 1996, she founded the National Abstinence Clearinghouse, a non-profit based in Sioux Falls, SD. The Clearinghouse serves as a resource center, providing information on abstinence until marriage programs.^[4] The organization grew rapidly after a federal government grant of $50 million for abstinence programs split between organizations. Its first conference was organized in 1998 in Minneapolis, MN. ^[5] Unruh has talked about the activities of National Abstinence Clearinghouse on The Oprah Winfrey Show and PBS.^[6][7]

Alpha Center

The Alpha Center is a pregnancy help center in Sioux Falls that provides pregnancy testing, STD testing, ultrasounds, and counselling for pregnant women.^[8]

Politics

In March 2006, Unruh was a key lobbyist supporting the Women's Health and Human Life Protection Act in South Dakota, which banned abortion in almost any circumstances, including those where the pregnancy threatened the woman's health and life. Eight months later it was overturned by South Dakota's voters in a referendum. An amended version of the bill, with exceptions for rape, incest, and maternal health, was scheduled for a new vote in 2008. The amended was seen by all sides as the vehicle for a potential challenge to Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court.^[9]

Unruh's "informed consent" law requires South Dakota doctors to tell patients that abortion can cause depression and sterility, among other side-effects. Initially found to be unconstitutional,^[when?] this law resurfaced in June 2008 when the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned.^[10] A lower court's ruling blocked enforcement of the law; as of 2009, the case was back in district court. Unruh's activism garnered South Dakota $200 million in federal funding to be spent teaching abstinence outside of marriage to public school students. ^[11]

Unruh is a prominent donor to Republican candidates.^[12]

Views

Unruh does not support contraception.^[13] Unruh has spoken in favor of purity balls.^[14]

Recognition

For her efforts in South Dakota, Unruh was awarded the 2006 Malachi Award by Operation Save America, a Christian organization.^[15]

References

1. "Taking Sides Can Be Risky Business". Newspapers.com. Argus Leader. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
2. "Home Helps Women in Crisis Pregnancies". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
3. "Omega Maternity Home". Newspapers.com. Argus Leader.
4. Lowy, Jean (October 18, 1999). "Congress set to double funding for say-no-to-sex programs". Greenville News. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
5. "First national conference preaches abstinence". June 15, 1998. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
6. LaBoe, Barbara (October 13, 1999). "Rally promotes teen sex abstinence". The Montana Standard. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
7. "NOW on PBS". IMDB. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
8. Todd, Nicole Ki and Annie. "Anti-abortion groups have worked to overturn Roe v. Wade. Now victorious, what's next?". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
9. . Archived from the original on Feb 8, 2010. Retrieved Jun 11, 2019.
10. U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Case number 05-3093, opinion issued June 27, 2008. Available at . Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2011-03-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
11. . Archived from the original on Feb 8, 2010. Retrieved Jun 11, 2019.
12. "As South Dakota campaigns launch, Thune mulls retirement". KELOLAND.com. 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
13. Winter, Meaghan (2015-04-06). ""Save the Mother, Save the Baby": An Inside Look at a Pregnancy Center Conference". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
14. "Teen girls say \'I do\' to dad and \'no\' to sex - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 2007-03-24. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
15. "Operation Rescue Announces 2006 Recipients of the Malachi Man and Woman of the Year Awards - Christian Newswire". www.christiannewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved Jun 11, 2019.