June 27 was another sad day in America for women and the unborn. That was the day the U.S. Supreme Court struck down provisions of a Texas law requiring abortion clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers and requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital in case of medical emergencies. This disastrous ruling will mean the unnecessary deaths of babies and leave mothers exposed to serious health risks.
The ruling is bad news for Missouri, which passed a similar law in 2005. Expect a proliferation of unsafe abortion clinics with little to no oversight. The court irresponsibly ignored high-profile cases in Pennsylvania and Texas that resulted in gross medical malpractice, manslaughter and murder. The Missouri and Texas laws were sound, common sense laws that have been thrown by the wayside by a Supreme Court that is increasingly hostile to the most vulnerable among us.
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There has not been much to be thankful for while Jay Nixon has been governor, but he is to be commended for signing legislation making the advertising of victims of sex trafficking a felony. The bill will add such advertising to the state’s definition of trafficking, which is a felony punishable by 5-20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or 10 years in prison, depending on the age of the victim. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and was carried in the Senate by Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis. The new law becomes effective Aug. 28.
The FBI estimates St. Louis is one of the top 20 trafficking destinations in the country. Haahr said he is on a House committee that will present a report on trafficking in the state later this year and that more legislation will be forthcoming. Haahr and Onder are two of the strongest, conservative leaders in the Missouri General Assembly.
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Here is another reason to be discerning when giving to organizations like the United Way. United Way affiliates provide almost $3 million a year to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest provider of abortions. Research on Internal Revenue Service Form 990 filings for United Way affiliates in tax years 2013 and 2014 found that 76 of the affiliates donated to Planned Parenthood, according to 2nd Vote, a money-tracking website that examines consumer and political causes. United Way affiliates in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin gave more than $170,000 to Planned Parenthood in 2013 and 2014. The is no evidence that any United Way affiliates in Missouri have given funds to Planned Parenthood.
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Missouri Right to Life (MRL) has issued its endorsement of candidates for the Aug. 2 statewide primary election. The organization endorsed three of the four Republicans running for governor: Businessman John Brunner, former Speaker of the House Catherine Hanaway and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. In the lieutenant governor’s race MRL endorsed both Republicans: Sen. Mike Parson and Bev Randles. For attorney general, the organization endorsed Joshua Hawley and Sen. Kurt Schaefer.
I concur with all the endorsements, except for attorney general. Schaefer has supported embryonic stem cell research (cloning). Hawley and the other candidates are known for their strong, pro-life views.
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The United States is not a Christian nation. That is according to a recent survey of white, evangelical Protestants by the Public Religion Institute in partnership with the Brookings Institute. Some 59 percent said the United States is no longer a Christian nation. In 2012 the same survey found 48 percent of white, evangelical Protestants feeling that way. The survey also indicated evangelicals’ growing belief that the United States is losing its Christian identity.
Other findings:
•Some 57 percent say the values of Islam are at odds with American values.
•Fifty-five percent believe that the American way of life needs to be protected against foreign influence.
•Nearly 80 percent of white, evangelicals believe that discrimination against Christians has become a big problem in America today as discrimination has against other groups.