The Weekly is a rundown of news by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission highlighting the week’s top news stories from the public square and providing commentary on the big issues of our day.

Supreme Court to Decide If States Can Force Pro-life Pregnancy Centers to Promote Abortion

What just happened?

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide the constitutionality of a California state law that forces pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion.

What does the California law require the pregnancy centers to do?

The Reproductive FACT (Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency) Act requires that CPCs “disseminate a notice to all clients, as specified, stating, among other things, that California has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services, prenatal care, and abortion, for eligible women.”

The law requires the notice to state:

“California has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services (including all FDA-approved methods of contraception), prenatal care, and abortion for eligible women. To determine whether you qualify, contact the county social services office at [insert the telephone number].”

This information must be disclosed to women who come to a CPC in one of the following ways: (A) A public notice posted in a conspicuous place where individuals wait that may be easily read by those seeking services from the facility. The notice shall be at least 8.5 inches by 11 inches and written in no less than 22-point type. (B) A printed notice distributed to all clients in no less than 14-point type. (C) A digital notice distributed to all clients that can be read at the time of check-in or arrival, in the same point type as other digital disclosures. A printed notice as described in subparagraph (B) shall be available for all clients who cannot or do not wish to receive the information in a digital format.

The law also forces non-medical pregnancy centers to add to all advertisements a large disclosures in multiple languages about their non-medical status. Violation of this law results in a fine of $500 for a first offense and then $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

What is the significance of this case?

The state of California and the Ninth Circuit are claiming that the state has an interest in forcing clinics to promote a particular view about abortion. Requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion violates their constitutionally protected rights of conscience and free speech by forcing them to advertise for groups like Planned Parenthood

Was this law passed to target pro-life pregnancy centers?

Yes. As ADF has pointed out, the California law not only forces pro-life groups to advertise for the abortion industry, the law exempts abortion-performing facilities and other healthcare providers.

Why would the Supreme Court overturn the law?

Several federal courts have invalidated or mostly invalidated laws similar to the FACT Act in Austin, Texas; Montgomery County, Maryland; Baltimore; and New York City. As ADF notes, the 9th Circuit’s ruling conflicts with other circuits and with previous decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court itself.

This week on ERLC podcasts: Daniel Darling talks to Alistair Begg about Spurgeon, pastoral leadership, and Cleveland sports. On the Capitol Conversations podcast, Matthew Hawkins, Travis Wussow, and Jeff Pickering discuss the adoption tax credit, the Conscience Protection Act, and DACA. And on the new ERLC podcast series, “How to Handle,” Trillia Newbell talks to Jimmy and Kelly Needham about overcoming pornography.

Other Issues

American Culture

Report: FBI May Be Investigating Planned Parenthood’s Dealings in Aborted Body Parts
Rachel Stoltzfoos, The Daily Signal

The FBI has requested documents from the Senate Judiciary Committee obtained from the committee’s investigation into Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue dealings.

Bioethics

The First Man to Have His Genes Edited Inside His Body
Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic

A clinical trial for zinc-finger nucleases, a potential new method of curing genetic diseases, kicks off.

Christianity and Culture

Texas church survivors and supporters hold services 1 week after mass shooting
M.L. Nestel, ABC News

The congregation of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, held a service today away from its sanctuary, a week after it was the scene of one of the worst mass shootings in modern U.S. history.

Some churches putting faith in their guns to fend off mass shootings
M.L. Nestel, ABC News

This month’s slaughter at a small Texas church has compelled the church’s pastor to carry a gun, and some fellow clergy members are already armed, with the goal of protecting their congregants.

The Church of England is encouraging primary school students to explore their gender identity
Jenny Anderson, Quartz

In an effort to tackle gender identity-related bullying, the Church of England issued new rules this week saying that kids should be able to “play with the many cloaks of identity.”

Family Issues

Balancing Paid Work and Kids
Laurie DeRose, Institute for Family Studies

Work rewards are based on incentive structures that have changed more slowly than women’s labor force participation.

International Issues

Vietnam Wrestles With Christianity
Seb Rumsby, The Diplomat

Why hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hmong have converted to Christianity in Vietnam over the past 30 years.

Australians say 'yes' to same-sex marriage
Catherine Garcia, The Week

More than 12.7 million Australians participated in a voluntary postal survey asking if they support or oppose same-sex marriage, and a majority voted in favor of it, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced Wednesday.

The ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya is visible from space
Tim Fernholz and David Yanofsky, Quartz

In just months, more than 600,000 members of Myanmar’s ethnic Muslim minority, the Rohingya, have fled persecution into neighboring Bangladesh. When that many people move on earth, you can see it from space.

USCIRF Says State Department Is Late In Designating "Countries of Particular Concern"
Howard Friedman , Religion Clause

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a press release on Tuesday criticizing the State Department for failing to meet the statutory deadline for designating "countries of particular concern".

Religious Liberty

ERLC, others urge conscience protection this year
Tom Strode, Baptist Press

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and pro-life allies are calling for enactment of protections for the conscience rights of health care providers before 2018.

A Closer Look at State Religious Freedom Legislation
Taylor Becker, Values & Capitalism

Despite heated media coverage surrounding the passing of the controversial Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in 2015, few people know that a total of twenty states already have RFRA statutes, including Alabama’s constitutional amendment to the same effect.

State Lawsuits Against Contraception Mandate Exceptions Would Gut Religious Liberty
Margot Cleveland, The Federalist

For moral reasons, individuals and organizations have sought for years to avoid funding contraceptives. Now states are suing so they also don’t have to pay for contraceptives.

The First Amendment Protects a Dissenting Cake Baker, Not State Coercion
Travis Weber, The Daily Signal

The state of Colorado is seeking to force Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, to bake cakes that violate his deeply held religious beliefs. (

Sexuality Issues

Sex abuse prevention resources available at sbc.net
Diana Chandler, Baptist Press

While a growing international storm of sexual abuse allegations and revelations has swirled for more than a month, the Southern Baptist Convention has long encouraged churches to be proactive in preventing abuse, SBC resources show.

The Pentagon will pay for a soldier's sex-reassignment surgery for the first time
Kathryn Krawczyk, The Week

President Trump may have tried to ban transgender people from the military, but the Pentagon seems to have another idea.