Erin Hawley – Defending Life, Truth, and Conscience in a Post-Dobbs World
This week on CMDA Matters, we bring you a powerful plenary address from our National Convention in St. Louis, featuring Erin Hawley, Senior Counsel and Vice President at Alliance Defending Freedom. A key figure in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case and lead counsel in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, Erin shares a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the legal battles shaping the future of life and conscience in America. With clarity and conviction, she highlights CMDA’s ongoing role in defending the unborn, protecting pregnancy centers, and standing for truth in a post-Roe world. Whether or not you’ve attended a CMDA gathering in person, this episode offers a glimpse into the passion, purpose, and unity that defines our mission.
If this episode encouraged you, take a moment to share it with a friend, colleague, or someone in your church connected to healthcare. It’s a simple way to help us grow and keep sharing conversations that matter. Be sure to follow the podcast on social media to stay connected, encouraged, and up to date. And to learn more about how CMDA is equipping healthcare professionals for such a time as this, be sure to visit cmda.org and learn how.
If you’ve never experienced a CMDA convention or retreat, we’d love for you to make this fall the time you join us. There are two incredible opportunities coming up – one for our Midwesterners, and one for our Northeasterners:
First, for those in the Midwest, don’t miss the Midwest Fall Conference, a long-standing favorite in the CMDA community, now celebrating its 35th year. It’s happening September 26 – 28 at the beautiful Maranatha Retreat Center on the shores of Lake Michigan. This weekend offers thoughtful teaching, meaningful fellowship, worship, and rest – with speakers like Dr. Farr Curlin, Dr. Stephen Ko, and a special panel featuring Dr. Carl Trueman. You can earn up to six CME credits, and there’s a full children’s program for kids 12 and under – making it a great experience for individuals or the whole family. Whether you come for the sessions or the quiet moments on the beach, we hope you’ll leave refreshed.
For those in the Northeast, we invite you to join us for the Northeast Regional Retreat, happening October 24 – 26, 2025, at Sandy Cove Ministries in North East, Maryland. This year’s theme is Faith Embodied, led by Dr. Stephen Ko, a pediatrician and preventive medicine physician at Massachusetts General Brigham in Boston who has been our guest several times on this podcast. It’s a meaningful time to explore both physical and spiritual health alongside other Christian healthcare professionals and students. Continuing Education credits are available, and there’s a $25 early bird discount through August 1. First-time attendees can also find an additional discount code on the event page. Learn more about both events and register at cmda.org/events.
Meet Our Guest(s):
Erin Morrow Hawley serves as senior counsel and vice president of the Center for Life and Regulatory Practice at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Hawley has litigated extensively before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals and state courts of last resort. On ADF’s behalf, she served as co-counsel to Mississippi in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and as lead counsel in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. Before joining ADF, Hawley practiced appellate law at Kirkland and Ellis LLP, Bancroft LLP and King & Spalding LLP. She also worked at the Department of Justice, serving as counsel to Attorney General Michael Mukasey. As an academic, Hawley served as an associate professor of law at the University of Missouri and senior fellow at the Kinder Institute for Constitutional Democracy. Her scholarship focuses primarily on federal courts and has been published in numerous top journals. Hawley is a frequent commentator on legal issues. Her work has been quoted or featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, US News, USA Today, Fox News, The Washington Examiner, World, Newsweek, the Legal Times and the Hill, among others. Hawley has also written a book on motherhood, entitled Living Beloved: Lessons From My Little Ones About the Heart of God. Hawley is a former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Hawley received her bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University and her law degree from Yale Law School where she served as a Coker Fellow in Constitutional Law and on the Yale Law Journal.
