| | SCOTUS delivers win for parents in Maine | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Tuesday, June 21, and today's headlines include the Supreme Court ruling that Maine can't bar parents from using state funds to send their children to religious schools, a study predicting the number of abortion clinic closures should Roe v. Wade be overturned, and Italy's first formally approved and carried out assisted suicide. | | The United States Supreme Court has ruled that Maine cannot prohibit parents from using a state tuition program to send their children to religious private schools. The court ruled 6-3 in the case of David Carson et al. v. A. Pender Makin, a suit involving a group of parents who sued Maine in 2018 over a ban on state tuition assistance for families sending their children to a private school that includes sectarian aspects in its curriculum. Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the majority opinion, wrote that "we have repeatedly held that a State violates the Free Exercise Clause when it excludes religious observers from otherwise available public benefits." The Supreme Court decision reverses an appeals court ruling and remands the case for further proceedings consistent with the opinion release on Tuesday. Read more. | | Also of Interest ...Survivor: Ala. church gunman drank alcohol moments before opening fireSudanese police arrest 2 Christian leaders during church Bible studyFort Worth Episcopalians vote to join Texas diocese after losing $100M property battle | | P.S. Looking for a way to close out your week? Stay in the know with In Case You Missed It, a Friday-only newsletter that features a roundup of the top stories of the week and a selection of faith-based highlights. Subscribe here. |
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| Study predicts closure of one-quarter of abortion clinics | | A study conducted by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) suggests that nearly one-quarter of abortion facilities throughout the country will close if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The study, which was conducted from 2017 through 2021, analyzed 790 abortion facilities that publicly advertised their services and were open in 2021, an increase from the 774 open facilities in 2017. The uptick was attributed to the Food and Drug Administration lifting the in-person dispensing requirement for chemical abortions (abortion pills) and allowing for them to be shipped by mail in December 2021. The FDA had temporarily removed restrictions on abortion pills during COVID-19, but this move made the removal permanent. This change led to the opening of telehealth facilities throughout the country that provide prescriptions for chemical abortions, with the number varying by state. The study claims as many as 26 states "could ban most or all abortions" and predicts the closure of 202 abortion clinics if Roe is overturned. Read more. | | World swimming body bans some men from competing against women | | World swimming’s governing body, FINA, has decided to prohibit some men who identify as female from participating in women’s competitions. However, some say the new policy is misguided and further legitimizes trans-ing children at an early age. The body's revised "gender inclusion policy" announced Sunday bans some men and boys from female-only competitions, but it still allows male swimmers who underwent a so-called gender transition before age 12 to compete against female athletes. FINA also put forward the possibility of a co-ed "open competition." James Pearce, the spokesperson for FINA President Husain Al-Musallam claims the move does not encourage children to transition by age 12, asserting, "You can’t transition by that age in most countries and hopefully, you wouldn’t be encouraged to. Basically, what they’re saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage." Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Trans-identified swimmer wins NCAA women's championship amid protests over fairness Louisiana becomes 18th state to ban biological males from competing in girls' sportsArizona bans gender reassignment surgeries for minors, biological males from women's sportsSouth Carolina becomes 16th state to ban biological males from girls' sports | | Iowa Supreme Court: No right to abortion in state constitution | | The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that there is no right to an abortion in the state constitution, which reversed an earlier ruling by the state’s highest court a few years earlier. The state issued its ruling in the case of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland et al. v. Kim Reynolds et al. on Friday, reversing a lower court decision against the state’s 24-hour waiting period for an abortion and remanding for further proceedings. Justice Edward Mansfield delivered the majority opinion, concluding that the court rejects "the proposition that there is a fundamental right to an abortion in Iowa’s Constitution subjecting abortion regulation to strict scrutiny." Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Judge temporarily blocks Iowa law requiring 24-hour waiting period for abortionIowa Supreme Court: State can ban Planned Parenthood from receiving sex-ed fundsIowa judge rules ‘heartbeat’ abortion law unconstitutional |
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| Which of these 3 Christians does more spiritual harm? | | Famous, Nice, and Toothless; Orthodox and Angry; Progressive and Woke—which of these contemporary professing Christians does the most spiritual harm? While the first is charismatic, he confuses followers by not addressing sin and guilt. While the second is theologically sharp and knowledgeable, he is often mean-spirited and fails to confess his own sins. The third is passionate and quotes Jesus, but he does not clearly proclaim Jesus is Lord and consistently agrees with trending politics and culture. Read more. | | Psychotic gender delusions | | F. LaGard Smith, a retired law school professor for Pepperdine University, discusses cultural psychosis, writing, "[O]ur psychotic, brave-new-world generation has literally lost touch with reality, being unable to distinguish what’s objectively real from a subjective figment of 'progressive' imagination." From a Supreme Court nominee refusing to define "woman" but happily accepting the title of being the first black "woman" to be appointed to using the term "chestfeeding" instead of "breastfeeding," Smith concludes, "So, have we evolved, or devolved? Prideful 'progressives' now detached from objective reality have become stupefyingly psychotic. Even a lowly bull knows a heifer when he sees one!" Read more. |
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| UK sanctions Russian Patriarch Kirill, slams forced adoptions | | The United Kingdom has announced a new round of sanctions in connection with Russia’s war in Ukraine, including sanctions targeting Moscow Patriarch Kirill for "his support and endorsement of Putin’s war." In a statement last Thursday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has "repeatedly abused his position to justify the war" and condemned the religious leader's enabling of Putin's invasion, including the suffering in Ukraine and "forced transfer and adoption of children." Read more. | | First assisted suicide carried out in Italy | | Forty-four-year-old Federico Carboni, known publicly by the pseudonym "Mario," died Thursday by lethal injection in Italy, marking Italy's first-ever formally approved and carried out assisted suicide. Carboni, a truck driver who was paralyzed in an accident in 2010, had described his life as "torture" and said that, despite trying to live as best he could, he was "both mentally and physically exhausted," per The Telegraph. Wesley J. Smith, an ardent critic of euthanasia and assisted suicide and a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism, told The Christian Post the legalization of assisted suicide stems from "a philosophy that sees death as a splendid response to suffering caused by serious disease, disability, mental illness and the morbidities of old age." Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Italian court blocks referendum on assisted suicidePope Francis condemns 'unacceptable drifts' towards euthanasia, assisted suicide |
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| Colts’ Willis chooses to advance the Gospel | | Indianapolis Colts starting safety Khari Willis announced that he is walking away from the NFL and millions of dollars in earnings to devote the rest of his life "to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." The 26-year-old, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, was in the fourth and final season of his rookie contract with the Colts when he revealed that he is giving it all up for Jesus. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Willis explained, "With much prayer and deliberation, I have elected to officially retire from the NFL as I endeavor to devote the remainder of my life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Willis earned around $3 million in his first three seasons with the team and was expected to have a base salary of $2.54 million for the 2022 season, the Indy Star reported. Read more. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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