COLUMBIA – The abdominal bleeding wouldn’t stop and she was running a fever of 104. The landlord knew the ordeal her young tenant had been through at Planned Parenthood, so she called somebody who knew more about post-abortion health concerns than she did. After a few more phone calls and questions, Bonnie Lee was able to get in touch with her. “Am I dying?” the scared young woman asked Lee. She told Lee how she called the nurse practitioner at Planned Parenthood and was told she may have … [Read more...]
Christian bakers lose in Oregon appeals court
WASHINGTON (BP) – Christian wedding vendors who decline to provide services for same-sex ceremonies have suffered another legal setback. The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Dec. 28 that the state did not violate the First Amendment rights of Aaron and Melissa Klein in a 2015 order that included a $135,000 fine. The three-judge panel upheld a decision by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) that found the Kleins' refusal to design and bake a cake for a lesbian couple's commitment … [Read more...]
Supreme Court justices engage the wedding wars
The Masterpiece Cakeshop case was billed as one of the most important religious liberty cases of our time. Yet none of us in the Supreme Court on December 5, 2017, expected to witness one of the most intense courtroom dramas of our lifetime. We were there because we had filed “amicus curiae” briefs in support of petitioner Jack Phillips, the Denver cake artist who serves any customer, but who does not do every event, e.g., custom wedding cakes for same-sex weddings. We sat in the … [Read more...]
Prayers, pro-life bills and Good Samaritans
A reproduction of Arnold Friberg’s iconic painting of General George Washington kneeling in prayer in the snow at Valley Forge hangs over my desk. The original hangs in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. I love Friberg’s painting because it reminds us that we must pray and ask God to heal and bless our land. Ever since our nation’s founding, America’s leaders have prayed for Divine guidance. Even today, with Christianity seemingly losing influence over American society, many … [Read more...]
Power to the parents: Advocates for a new constitutional amendment say the push for parental rights could unite the country
(WNS) - At a time when lawmakers in Washington can’t seem to agree on anything, parental rights advocates think their issue could erase the left-right divide, at least temporarily. Backers of the movement are trying to get Congress to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would codify the rights of parents to make decisions for their children without government interference. It’s a tall order. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress. … [Read more...]
The Times, they are a-changing
(WNS)-- The list of entertainers, journalists, and politicians accused of sexual misconduct got so long last week that The New York Times compiled an interactive chart to keep track of it. A new age of accountability for sexual aggression has dawned, spurred by some notable changes in news reporting. First, women are more willing to go on the record with their stories and let journalists identify them by name. For decades, media accounts of sexual misconduct were easier to discount … [Read more...]
Baptists still fighting HHS mandate
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist institutions and other objectors to the six-year-old abortion/contraception mandate are still working to protect their freedom of conscience on a number of fronts after the Trump administration provided aid through a new rule. The challengers to the controversial requirement are negotiating with the federal government, pushing for permanent relief in court and, in the case of the Little Sisters of the Poor, fighting new suits now being waged by California … [Read more...]
Fighting taxpayer-funded abortion in Illinois: Lawsuit filed by pro-life organizations and lawmakers could have national implications
(WNS) - Opponents of an Illinois law that would allow state funding of abortion on demand for state employees and Medicaid recipients have filed suit. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the law, known as HB 40, earlier this year, and the Thomas More Society filed suit last week on behalf of 10 pro-life organizations, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and eight state legislators filing as taxpayers. The suit, a request to “restrain and enjoin” a misuse of tax … [Read more...]
Do as we say, not as we do: Australian Christians hope to avoid U.S. religious liberty battle with conscience protections in same-sex marriage bill
(WNS) - As attorneys for Colorado baker Jack Phillips prepare to defend his religious and free speech rights before the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 5, the Australian Parliament is drafting same-sex marriage legislation that some fear could criminalize similar dissent Down Under. Australians overwhelmingly showed their approval of same-sex marriage in a recent postal poll. The results, published Nov. 15, showed 61.1 percent approve of state-recognized same-sex marriage. Legislators are … [Read more...]
Rights to life and free speech intersect at Supreme Court
(WNS) - A U.S. Supreme Court case testing the constitutionality of a California abortion law will affect free speech beyond the battleground over unborn lives. National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, which the high court agreed this month to hear, focuses on whether the government can prescribe a message for groups that disagree with it - in this case, a message that promotes abortion. Pro-life groups that have filed suit against the law are optimistic the court will … [Read more...]
From the Archives: Firearms in church?
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been edited and updated, having run previously in the Oct. 8, 2013, edition of The Pathway. NORWOOD – Pastor Stephen Fugitt believes that churches have the right to arm themselves for the day when a gunman enters their buildings to do harm. Yet no one had time to open fire against a gunman who aimed his .357 magnum revolver at Fugitt as he preached to his congregation at the First Baptist Church, Norwood, July 21, 2013. Instead, one church member grabbed … [Read more...]
Neurosis and smartphones in teens
(WNS) - A Colorado research professor this week proposed a hypothesis to explain the unprecedented rates of depression and anxiety in the post-millennial generation: dwindling social cues. Scott Stanley, a researcher at the University of Denver and a fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, said decreases in the reliability of information about relationships (for example, an emoji response to a heartfelt question) may be exacerbating mental and emotional issues in today’s teens and … [Read more...]
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