About US
Who We Are
We are a team of Libertarian activists who strongly believe that the Libertarian Party should appeal to a wide array of Libertarians and not treat pro-life Libertarians as second-class.
Officers of the Pro-Life Libertarian Caucus:
Daniel Woike
State Coordinators:
Kennedy Edwards (Ohio)
Daniel Woike (Michigan)
The PLLC led a successful effort to abolish Plank 1.5 (Abortion Plank) from the National Libertarian Party Platform in 2022. Aligning the LP with the position that Government should not even have considered banning such a barbaric practice was not only foolhardy politically but also out-of-alignment with the cornerstone of Libertarianism, namely the non-aggression principle. We now believe that there is a bright future ahead for the LP as this turn of events opens the floodgates to the broader pro-life liberty movement to making common cause with the LP.
Our Statement of Principles is as follows:
We, the Pro Life Libertarian Caucus, believe that a person is a person no matter what stage of development they are in or what level of dependency they have on another person. We believe that all people have been endowed by their creator with the same inalienable rights at the moment of their creation and are entitled to equal protection under the law. We believe that initiating the use of unjustified force to kill a person at any stage is not only inherently immoral, but also a clear violation of the non aggression principle. The Libertarian Party stands for the protection of the rights of the smallest minority, the individual. We cannot think of an individual that needs more protection than a pre-born person. We believe that a pro-life stance is the correct stance for the Libertarian Party. We strive to move the culture of the Libertarian Party towards that stance by supporting candidates for party leadership, nominees to public office, changes to our party platform, and education of fellow members.
Our Approach
Our Platform
PERSONHOOD – When the Supreme Court of the United States decided the infamous case of Roe v Wade they opted not to address the personhood of the unborn. They, instead, decided to leave that discussion to scientists and philosophers. Since then, much has been learned about conception and fetal growth. We believe the beginning of life should be determined by science, and not purely on an arbitrary basis as it currently is, and that a human being is a person who is entitled to the right to life as soon as life has been established.
NON AGRESSION PRINCIPLE – We believe that initiating the use of force to kill a person at any stage is not only inherently immoral, but also a clear violation of the non aggression principle. This, in our opinion, would put any other view besides the pro-life view at odds with the non-aggression philosophy of the Libertarian Party.
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY – We are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. With these rights come being responsible for our actions. The parents have a duty of care for the life they helped create.
STATES RIGHTS – We believe that each individual state has the right to decide for themselves what level of protection for preborn persons they wish to provide. However, we would urge every State to protect life from the time of conception.
GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT – We realize that abortion will not truly end in this country with the passing of laws. Prohibition has never ended anything. This does not mean that we should advocate for inaction by government. The Libertarian Party platform supports the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others. Since abortion is definitely the initiation of force, we believe government has a duty to secure the rights of preborn people.
PUBLIC ATTITUDE – We support every effort to change attitudes where it applies to motherhood, unwed mothers, rape victims, the poor and any other group that may feel societal pressure to have an abortion. Abortion will only truly go away with a change of heart.
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION – We believe that abortion should be ended in a timely manner, but also understand that this will take time to enact in America. In the meantime we believe that it is important to ensure that no taxpayer dollars are going to fund abortion either domestically or international. Many people hold good faith objections to abortion on religious and moral grounds. We believe that no American should be forced to pay for a practice that goes against their own religious views. Religious freedom is a cornerstone of America. Forcing people to fund, or perform, abortions goes against religious freedom.
LIFE OF THE MOTHER – Women do have a right to self defense. If the pregnancy is killing her then we would not stand in the way of a woman making the decision to protect herself. We would urge though that every attempt to save both mother and child be made.
RAPE – Rape is a horrendous evil and no woman should be impregnated against her will. However, a child wrongly conceived is still a child deserving of protection because the first violation of the non-aggression principle does not justify a second such violation. As soon as technology allows for the mother to evict the child safely, there should be a priority in law to allow the mother to evict the child and to permit adoption, if desired by the mother.
CONTRACEPTION – We believe that one of the best ways to decrease abortion numbers is through the proper use of contraception. Therefore, we advocate for it, along with numerous other currently restricted drugs, to be readily available over the counter.
Resources of Interest
Pro-Life Resources:
Libertarians for Life: https://l4l.org/index.html
Libertarian Christian Institute: https://libertarianchristians.com/abortion/
Liberty Pro-Life & Abolish Abortion PAC: https://libertyprolife.org/aapac-focus/
Free the States: https://freethestates.org
Students for Life: https://studentsforlife.org/
American Life League: https://www.all.org/
Alliance Defending Freedom: https://adflegal.org/issues/sanctity-of-life/overview
National Right to Life: https://www.nrlc.org/
General Liberty Resources:
Libertarian Party Platform: https://www.lp.org/platform/
Mises Institute: https://mises.org/
Stossel TV : https://www.johnstossel.com/
10th Amendment Center: https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/
FreedomWorks: https://www.freedomworks.org/
Foundation for Economic Education: https://fee.org/
Reason Foundation: https://reason.org/
Our Bylaws
ARTICLE 1: NAME
These articles shall govern the association known as the “Pro-Life Libertarian Caucus,” hereinafter referred to as the “Caucus.”
ARTICLE 2: PURPOSE
The purpose of this caucus is to give voice to those members of the Libertarian Party who believe that the pro-life stance is not only a valid libertarian stance, but that it is the preferable libertarian stance.
ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership is open to all National, State, and Local members of the Libertarian Party who agree with the Caucus Statement of Principles.
2. Membership dues are $20 per year. These dues can be adjusted, or eliminated, by a 2/3 vote of the steering committee at any meeting or by a majority vote of the membership at a regular convention.
3. Membership may be suspended, terminated or denied for cause by a 2/3 vote of the Steering Committee.
ARTICLE 4: OFFICERS
1. The officers of the caucus shall be Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer.
2. All officers shall be elected at the regular convention of the caucus.
3. Newly elected officers shall take office immediately upon final adjournment of the regular convention where elections are held.
4. The terms of office will end at the adjournment of the next regular convention where an election is held.
5. No person shall serve as an officer who is not a member of the Libertarian Party.
6. The Chairman shall preside at all Conventions and all meetings of the Steering Committee. The Chairman is the chief executive officer of the Caucus with full authority to direct its business and affairs. The Chairman is also the spokesman for the caucus.
7. The Vice Chairman shall be the chief assistant to the Chairman, performing such duties as the Chairman shall prescribe, and holding such executive powers as the Chairman shall delegate and shall perform the duties of the Chairman in the event that the Chair is, for any reason, unable to perform the duties of the office. The Vice Chairman is an ex-officio member of all committees.
8. The Secretary shall in some manner record the proceedings of all caucus meetings and conventions. In the absence of the Secretary, the Chairperson shall appoint another caucus member to serve as Secretary pro tem. The Secretary shall be the custodian of the Caucus bylaws, committee reports, official correspondence of the Caucus and any standing rules that may be established.
9. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds and property of the Caucus. The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer responsible for filing all necessary forms for the Caucus. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining a mailing list of Caucus members for notifying members of membership renewals.
ARTICLE 5: STEERING COMMITTEE
1. The Steering Committee shall be made up of the Officers and five at-large members.
2. The At-Large members shall be elected at the same time and manner as the officers. Their terms shall be the same.
3. The Steering Committee shall control and manage the affairs and properties of the Caucus consistent with these bylaws.
4. The Steering Committee shall be responsible for calling conventions and meetings, resolving matters of succession of officers, dealing with membership suspension , termination or refusal, authorizing expenditures and investments of funds, and appointing committees as deemed necessary to conduct Caucus business.
5. Removal of Steering Committee members for cause requires a 2/3 vote of the Steering Committee.
ARTICLE 6: MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS
1. The Chairman shall call a regular meeting of the Steering Committee at least quarterly. This meeting will be to discuss old business, committee reports, and new business. Quorum shall be a minimum of two officers and three at large members. All members are welcome to observe and time will be given for member input.
2. Regular conventions shall be held during the Libertarian Party National Convention. It shall be held at a place no more than 1 mile from the national convention venue. Quorum shall consist of 50% + 1 of the registered delegates.
3. A convention committee shall be formed to handle the logistics.
4. The purpose of the regular convention shall be the election of officers, endorsing candidates for office, modifications of platform, bylaws, and statement of principles.
5. Any member in good standing with a minimum of 30 days membership shall be a delegate to the regular convention.
6. The 30 day requirement may be suspended on an individual basis by a 2/3 vote of the members present at a regular convention.
7. Electronic meetings and balloting for regular meetings, committee meetings, and conventions are permissible under these bylaws.
ARTICLE 7: AMENDMENTS
1. These bylaws may be amended by 2/3 vote of the membership present at a regular convention.
2. The platform may be amended by a majority vote of the membership present at a regular convention.
3. The Statement of Principles, after initial adoption by majority vote, may be amended by a 7/8 vote of the membership present at a regular convention.
4. Any member in good standing for a minimum of 30 days prior to the regular convention may propose amendments to the bylaws, platform, or Statement of Principles.