Daily Headlines | Friday March 25, 2022

Good Morning!

 

It’s been nearly fifty years since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in all fifty states – and the campaign to protect every life under law has only grown. 

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come,” wrote Abraham Lincoln. 

Should that “chance” arrive in the weeks and months ahead, we will be ready:

 

The Pro-Life Community is Ready for a Post-Roe World 

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly writes in the Christian Post: 

Although it’s likely still several months away, anticipation and optimism are beginning to build ahead of the Supreme Court’s expected ruling on the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. That’s because for the first time in a generation, there appears to be a legitimate chance that a majority of justices will affirm a state’s right to put restrictions on the horrific taking of innocent life.  

Since December’s high stakes hearing in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, some have suggested the pro-life community isn’t ready for a post-Roe world.  

Don’t believe it. It’s not true. In fact, we’ve been preparing and waiting for this moment for decades.  

Pregnancy resources centers (PRCs) have been around since the 1960s, when some states began expanding access to abortion. After the Supreme Court legalized abortion in all fifty states in 1973, the number of these critical outlets grew exponentially. There are over 2,500 of them today. My organization, Focus on the Family, partners with many of them – providing training and ultrasound equipment designed to help expectant mothers hear the heartbeat and see an image of their baby.  

Many of these clinics are staffed by volunteers – individuals who have committed their time and personal resources to vulnerable women and innocent children. They expect nothing in return and often never meet the children of the moms in their care. In addition to medical care, these clinics provide diapers, formula, baby food and clothes. They also provide counseling, and some offer access to housing and employment opportunities. 

Christian churches have also been ministering to expectant mothers and their children for decades with prayer and practical assistance. Families have opened their homes and hearts in so many different ways.  

Should the High Court allow states to restrict access to abortion, it’s likely that PRCs and churches will be challenged to meet the rising demand. They’ll be successful if they’re able to mobilize and help women at the local level more than ever before. Christian hospitals and the generosity of private business owners will be called upon to redouble their efforts in providing job training and employment opportunities.  If we want to permanently bury abortion, we’ll need to wide a God centered path to that objective.   

American families are already waiting in the wings to welcome these children into their homes. Just consider the fact that between one and two million couples are currently waiting to adopt a baby in the United States. This means there are more moms and dads available than children already being aborted even before Dobbs is decided.  

But adopting a baby in the United States is almost nothing like you see on television or in the movies. It can be an emotional roller coaster for both the birthparents and the adoptive parents. There is both grief and joy and plenty of anxiety to go around. 

For birthmothers, the decision to make an adoption plan can be excruciating. These women (and in some cases, men) often want to parent, but for any number of reasons they cannot. Nevertheless, entrusting your child to someone else can be a painful decision in the short term but rewarding in the long term. 

Adoptive parents face their own set of challenges. From the exciting but jarring experience of becoming new moms and dads to navigating potential relationships with birth families, the journey will change them, and in profound ways. 

The home study process, a necessary step to make sure prospective moms and dads and their places of residence are acceptable and safe, should be simplified and the average cost of $4,000 for the home study alone should be reduced. 

With the likelihood of more adoptions in a post-Roe world, the federal government should increase the amount of the adoption tax credit and help reduce the financial burdens to families. The credit is now $14,440 – but the average infant adoption can cost upwards of $40,000. 

As Abraham Lincoln sat down to sign the Emancipation Proclamation on New Year’s Day of 1863, he said, “I never in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper … If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” 

Likewise, the souls of countless pro-life stalwarts have been laboring for years in the pro-life community. Their efforts have often gone largely unnoticed, but their quiet and steady work have brought us to this critical juncture in history. They are ready.  

 

RELATED: 

Radical Colorado Abortion Bill Sells Women Short 

Focus on the Family’s Robyn Chambers spoke with Fox 21 TV: 

The bill has generated some concerns among some members of the community who highlighted the section of the bill that would allow for a fetus to be aborted at 40 weeks.

“One of our legislators said her own personal story was she was born at 22 weeks,” said Robyn Chambers, Focus on the Family Advocacy for Children Executive Director. “That’s a really early term baby. She was celebrating her 50th birthday this year. And one of the comments she said was: ‘Isn’t every child deserving of a birthday?’” 

Chambers said the bill also doesn’t advocate for women.

“I feel like we’re selling our young women short. I look at the young women I work with here at Focus on the Family every day. They are strong women. They are strong enough to have their dream of finishing college or their dream of having a baby and a career,” Chamber said. 

Another way Chambers said the bill affects women empowerment is by not allowing for more education on their choices. Chambers cited an example of a young woman who took an abortion pill, then later decided she didn’t want to have the abortion.

“The information given back to her was… you just have to finish. I don’t know that that’s real education. When she’s not being given all the real information in order for her to make a really empowered decision that’s best for her life,” Chambers said. 

 

RELATED:

Idaho Governor Signs Heartbeat Bill into Law; Oklahoma House Passes Total Abortion Ban 

From The Daily Citizen: 

Two states took major steps to protect preborn life recently. In Idaho, Governor Brad Little signed into law a heartbeat abortion ban bill – prohibiting abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected – modeled after the Texas heartbeat law that has successfully withstood several legal challenges. And in Oklahoma, the state House of Representatives also passed an abortion bill featuring some of the Texas law’s characteristics, but went further by banning all abortions, except to save the life of the mother. 

The Idaho law, SB 1309, which The Daily Citizen has previously reported on, is a modification of an existing Idaho heartbeat law currently blocked by a judge’s ruling. Learning from Texas’ success in the courts with its heartbeat ban, the Idaho legislature revised its law to incorporate the private enforcement aspect of the Texas version. It will go into effect in 30 days. 

The genius of the private enforcement provision is that it doesn’t allow abortion sellers to ask a court to enjoin state officials from enforcing the law, for the simple reason that no state officials are delegated such authority under the law’s provisions. Under the Texas version, now adopted in Idaho, abortionists have to wait to be sued by a private party, and then raise their constitutional arguments, and hope a judge agrees with them. 

Oklahoma’s House of Representatives has taken the Idaho and Texas laws one step further. By a vote of 78-19 recently, the House passed House Bill 4327 (HB 4327), which bans all abortions with one exception: 

“A physician may not knowingly perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman, unless such abortion is performed to save the life of the mother.” 

The Oklahoma bill allows private parties to receive $10,000 in damages if they are successful in suing an abortionist for violating the law. In Idaho, the damages are set higher, at $20,000. 

 

Twitter Continues Crusade Against Science in Purge of Biological Reality 

From The Daily Citizen: 

The folks over at Twitter have a beef with biology and anyone who affirms the unchangeable, unalterable, inherent reality of male and female. 

The Daily Citizen reported earlier this week that Twitter had suspended the account of The Babylon Bee, a satirical Christian website, for a post on March 16, 2022 that read, “The Babylon Bee’s Man of the Year is Rachel Levine.” 

The Bee’s post satirized USA Today’s choice of Dr. Rachel Levine as a “National Honoree” for its “Women of the Year 2022.” 

Dr. Levine “was born male, lived as Richard Levine for more than 50 years, married, and fathered two children. The doctor began ‘transitioning’ around 2008 and announced his ‘transgenderism’ around 2011.” 

 

NCAA Ignores Outcry From Female Swimmers Over Biological Men In Women’s Sports 

From the Daily Wire: 

The NCAA is apparently ignoring national outcry over the inclusion of a biologically male athlete in the recent NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships, staying silent despite concerns from swimmers, parents, and the public at large. 

The Daily Wire has repeatedly reached out to the association regarding testimony from fathers and swimmers who protest against Lia Thomas, a biologically male athlete, swimming in female races. 

Despite highly publicized calls for action from Virginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy and University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines — both of whom competed against Thomas and suffered for it, the NCAA has not responded to requests for comment. 

Gyorgy placed 17th in the 500 freestyle, meaning that she did not make it back to the finals and was a first alternate. If Thomas, a biological male, had not participated, Gyorgy would have made it to the finals. 

 

Poll finds a majority of Democrat primary voters support Florida’s Parental Rights bill 

From TheBlaze: 

Even Democrats agree that children in kindergarten through third grade are too young to learn about sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a new poll. 

A majority of likely Democratic primary voters in the state of Florida support controversial parental rights legislation that LGBTQ+ activists, the Democratic Party, and the national media have inaccurately called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. 

These results come from a poll conducted by Floridians for Economic Advancement, a political action committee that supports candidates from both major parties. The group’s survey asked 701 likely Democratic primary voters about language from the Parental Rights in Education bill that was recently passed by the Republican-controlled legislature and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

The survey asked, “Should students in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade be taught about sexual orientation in the classroom by their teachers?” 

 

Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Requiring High School Students To Pass A Financial Literacy Course 

From the Political Insider: 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation requiring high school students to pass a financial literacy course before graduating. 

The bill – known as the Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act – passed the Florida House unanimously by a vote count of 117-0 and did the same in the state Senate with a 39-0 vote. 

“Financial literacy is an important life skill for a student to have,” said DeSantis in announcing the bill’s signing. 

“Ensuring our students have the skills to manage their finances and perhaps one day own a business will pay dividends for our state,” he added. 

The education requirement will go into effect for the 2023-2024 school year and will provide students instruction on managing debt, handling bank accounts, and navigating credit scores and taxes. 

 

US states seek to ease inflation burden with direct payments 

From the Associated Press: 

With inflation raging and state coffers flush with cash, governors and lawmakers across the U.S. are considering a relatively simple solution to help ease the pain people are feeling at the gas pump and grocery store — sending money. 

At least a dozen states have proposed giving rebate checks of several hundred dollars directly to taxpayers, among them California, Kansas and Minnesota. Critics, including many Republican lawmakers, say those checks won’t go far enough given the pace of inflation and are pushing instead for permanent tax cuts. 

A proposal from Maine Gov. Janet Mills is among the most generous in a state where the cost of food and fuel has skyrocketed in recent months. The Democratic governor wants to send $850 to most residents as part of the state’s budget bill. 

The rebate “will help Maine people grapple with these increased costs by putting money directly back into their pockets,” Mills said. 

 

U.S. to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing war amid broader aid effort 

From Reuters: 

The United States plans to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion and is pledging $1 billion in new humanitarian aid, the Biden administration said on Thursday after a month of bombardments touched off Europe’s fastest-moving refugee crisis since the end of World War Two. 

The announcement coincided with U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with European leaders in Brussels to coordinate the Western response to the crisis. 

More than 3.5 million people have fled since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, putting a strain on the neighboring European countries receiving them. 

U.S. lawmakers and advocates have urged Biden to do more to help those seeking refuge in the United States. 

 

The Subtle Way to Waste Your Life  

From Desiring God: 

Do you feel the preciousness of time? Are you truly living? A hand hold with a spouse or a wait in line at the store can take on new significance when we consider it occurs within this shooting star we call “life.” 

looking back, I have realized in my work life that I have lived too often as a sophisticated sloth. Here are a few characteristics. 

1. Slow to Begin 

The traditional sluggard does not begin tasks at all. We hear his voice crying out from his bed, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” (Proverbs 22:13; 26:13). He would go to the work like the rest of us, he assures us, but for those killer cats. 

2. Quick to Break 

We are told the traditional sluggard “buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth” (Proverbs 19:24). This image is his profile picture. 

3. Open to Interruptions 

I have contributed my attention to the notable businesses that profit on the distracted. Every text message and Youtube video seems so much more interesting when I am in the middle of my labor. The path of each workday has offered me multiple rest stops. 

4. Puts Off Harder Work 

This is one the cleverest tricks of the sophisticated sloth: He works — to avoid doing harder work. He is the kid who sees dad coming and rushes to take out the trash so his brother is left to shovel instead. He chooses to work when he must — to spare himself more difficult work later. 

 

9. Why don’t kids get Covid badly? Scientists are unraveling one of the pandemic’s biggest mysteries 

From CNBC: 

One of the enduring mysteries of the Covid-19 pandemic, a global health crisis that has led to over 6 million fatalities, is that children have been spared by the virus — for the most part — and have not experienced anywhere near the severity of illness that adults have. 

Scientists are still somewhat baffled as to why children are not badly affected by Covid, although studies are slowly shedding light on how, and why, children’s responses to Covid differ from those among adults. 

“A number of theories have been suggested, including a more effective innate immune response, less risk of immune over-reaction as occurs in severe Covid, fewer underlying co-morbidities and possibly fewer ACE-2 receptors in the upper respiratory epithelium — the receptor to which SARS-CoV-2 [Covid] binds,” Dr. Andrew Freedman, an academic in infectious diseases at the U.K.’s Cardiff University Medical School, told CNBC in emailed comments, adding that nonetheless the phenomenon was not “fully understood.” 

 

Kindergartener Granted PhD In Biology After Correctly Distinguishing Boy From Girl 

From the Babylon Bee: 

“We hereby grant the intellectual phenom, young Timothy Swanson this honored PhD in Biology for his work in clearly differentiating the subtle variations between Homosapien boys and girls,” said the chairman of the American Council of Biology PhDs, while handing a certificate to the young boy who only hours ago was sticking crayon shavings up his nose.