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Pro-Life License Plates Set To Debut In N.J.

SHREWSBURY, N.J. (CBS 2) -- A woman's freedom to choose has taken to the roads.

New license plates pushing an anti-abortion pro-life position are about to arrive in New Jersey.

It has come after a long First Amendment battle, reports CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.

On the road of life, drivers in New Jersey can finally choose it, life that is, on their license plates.

Dr. Elizabeth Rex of the Children First Foundation said the plate is all about adoption awareness.

"We're happy," Dr. Rex said. "You can't choose adoption without choosing life."

But an anti-abortion logo was initially denied by New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission. Children First filed suit, accusing the state of "content-based and viewpoint-based discrimination," pointing to the few dozen other organizations who have plates, including the freemasons, operational engineers and even square dancers.

"They're all advocating -- their logos, the tag lines," Dr. Rex said.

A federal court agreed, issuing a decision that encouraged New Jersey to drop its legal fight and join 25 other states with "Choose Life" license plates.

But Planned Parenthood said the plates are a problem.

"I don't think anyone deserves a platform for misinformation or scare tactics," said Phyllis Kinsler, CEO of Planned Parenthood.

Kinsler said the "Choose Life" agencies also don't deserve the money that comes from every driver who orders a plate.

"Now there will be increased funding for centers that acknowledge they provide only partial information on their best day," Kinsler said.

"Choose Life" calls that characterization unfair.

With this six-year battle now over, all eyes now turn to New York, which has been fighting the "Choose Life" license plates since 2001. Backers of the plates said a decision from the federal court is expected anytime now.

Drivers have to first join the Children First organization of New Jersey before they can receive a license plate. The agency said so far a few hundred orders have been placed.

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