Top officials at seven nationwide Catholic organizations called on congressional leaders and President Donald Trump to unite behind a new legislative package to “address the public health and economic crisis facing our country and the global community” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Saying that the pandemic is causing widespread economic challenges to families and unemployed…Read More
A member of the Oklahoma State Board of Education suggested Thursday that private schools should not be allowed to participate in a state program for children with special needs unless they substantially abandon their Christian identity. During the board’s monthly meeting, Altus Christian Academy and Christian Heritage Academy both applied to participate in the Lindsey…Read More
A member of the Oklahoma State Board of Education suggested Thursday that private schools should not be allowed to participate in a state program for children with special needs unless they substantially abandon their Christian identity. During the board’s monthly meeting, Altus Christian Academy and Christian Heritage Academy both applied to participate in the Lindsey…Read More
With several large Oklahoma schools remaining closed for in-person instruction, parental opposition to school closures has become more vocal as parents sign petitions and hold protests. A new national poll indicates Oklahoma parents are not alone as support for school-choice policies has surged nationwide amidst school shutdowns. The American Federation for Children, which advocates for…Read More
With several large Oklahoma schools remaining closed for in-person instruction, parental opposition to school closures has become more vocal as parents sign petitions and hold protests. A new national poll indicates Oklahoma parents are not alone as support for school-choice policies has surged nationwide amidst school shutdowns. The American Federation for Children, which advocates for…Read More
President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced an executive order that would require medical care be given to infants who are born alive after failed abortion attempts. “Today I am announcing that I will be signing the Born-Alive Executive Order to ensure that all precious babies born alive, no matter their circumstances, receive the medical care…Read More
The school choice movement is at a crossroads. Decades of success have positioned the movement to aim higher—for the still-unrealized dream of universal school choice. And a few high-profile challenges have also made it clear that the movement will not be secure until it makes a firm commitment to universal choice. As the pandemic forces…Read More
The vast majority of Catholic likely voters – more than 8 in 10 – favor restrictions on abortion, a new poll released this week has found. Only 15% of those surveyed said abortion should be permitted at any time in a pregnancy. The same percentage said abortion should never be permitted. Eight percent said abortion…Read More
President Donald Trump on Saturday signaled he would soon nominate a potential replacement to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday evening at 87. Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic mother of seven, is widely reported to be the front-runner in the president’s deliberations regarding a nominee. “.@GOP We were put…Read More
Most people, one hopes, appreciated the public efforts of my colleague Rob Sellers, the executive director of the Opportunity Scholarship Fund, to inform families seeking better school options for their children about available opportunities to apply for scholarships that enable children to attend a private school. These privately funded scholarships and the organizations that administer…Read More
After spending nearly three decades behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, an Oklahoma man is now suing the state. In 1991, Corey Atchison was convicted of murdering James Warren Lane. Officials say Atchison was convicted on testimony from a single witness, who eventually came forward to say he was coerced by police into…Read More
After spending nearly three decades behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, an Oklahoma man is now suing the state. In 1991, Corey Atchison was convicted of murdering James Warren Lane. Officials say Atchison was convicted on testimony from a single witness, who eventually came forward to say he was coerced by police into…Read More
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit sided Sept. 14 with President Donald Trump’s plan to end a particular immigration protection status that would have allowed people from six countries that have suffered disasters to remain in the United States. The court said the president was within his rights to revoke what’s called…Read More
The US bishops’ conference on Friday applauded the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposal to allow single-sex homeless shelters to serve only those whose biological sex aligns with that of their residents. The proposal would reverse an Obama-era rule that requires single-sex homeless shelters to accommodate clients based on their gender identity. The…Read More
The March for Life Education and Defense Fund announced Thursday the theme for its 2021 event: “Together Strong: Life Unites.” Organizers of the event said in a press release that the 48th annual March for Life will take place on January 29th, 2021. The march occurs every year on or near the anniversary of Roe…Read More
A public school teacher and organization director is Gov. Kevin Stitt’s pick for his next secretary of education. The governor tapped Ryan Walters, CEO of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, for the cabinet position, which requires confirmation from the state Senate. The 2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist taught for eight years in his hometown…Read More
A public school teacher and organization director is Gov. Kevin Stitt’s pick for his next secretary of education. The governor tapped Ryan Walters, CEO of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, for the cabinet position, which requires confirmation from the state Senate. The 2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist taught for eight years in his hometown…Read More
A United States senator from Oklahoma says he is focused on helping non-profit organizations survive the coronavirus pandemic. Sen. James Lankford announced that a bill the provides targeted funding for coronavirus relief will now include an incentive for charitable giving. “It’s called a skinny bill because the House put out a $3.5 trillion bill as…Read More
The state’s prison population has dropped 15% since a year ago, the Board of Corrections was told Wednesday. As of Aug. 31, the agency had 21,991 offenders, or 3,886 fewer than about the same time last year, said Jason Bryant, Oklahoma Department of Corrections population coordinator. The figures include state facilities, private prisons and county…Read More
A United States senator from Oklahoma says he is focused on helping non-profit organizations survive the coronavirus pandemic. Sen. James Lankford announced that a bill the provides targeted funding for coronavirus relief will now include an incentive for charitable giving. “It’s called a skinny bill because the House put out a $3.5 trillion bill as…Read More
The state’s prison population has dropped 15% since a year ago, the Board of Corrections was told Wednesday. As of Aug. 31, the agency had 21,991 offenders, or 3,886 fewer than about the same time last year, said Jason Bryant, Oklahoma Department of Corrections population coordinator. The figures include state facilities, private prisons and county…Read More
A federal court of appeals this week ruled against the Trump administration’s requirement that Title X recipients may not perform or refer for abortions. In an 8-6 ruling Thursday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier injunction against the enforcement of the federal Protect Life Rule in Maryland. The Protect Life Rule,…Read More
The Supreme Court could soon rule on a major abortion case, after the Trump administration appealed to maintain safety regulations of the abortion pill. The Justice Department (DOJ) filed an Aug. 26 emergency motion at the Supreme Court to halt a federal district court’s decision from going into effect that would nullify federal regulations of…Read More
As the Senate is expected to consider a pared-down coronavirus relief package this week, the U.S. bishops’ conference is calling for immediate and substantial aid. The head of the U.S. bishops’ domestic justice committee, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, called on Congress to pass a bill “that meets the urgent needs of the nation.”…Read More
As the Senate is expected to consider a pared-down coronavirus relief package this week, the U.S. bishops’ conference is calling for immediate and substantial aid. The head of the U.S. bishops’ domestic justice committee, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, called on Congress to pass a bill “that meets the urgent needs of the nation.”…Read More
In more than four decades of coaching girls’ basketball at Lebanon Catholic High School in southeastern Pennsylvania, Patti Hower had led the team to three state championships and 20 district titles. This year, with four starting players returning, there were high hopes again. But then in April came the news: the Roman Catholic Diocese of…Read More
Nearly two dozen senators are urging the Trump administration to remove the abortion pill from the market as advocates for the drug push for its wider availability. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) led a group of 20 Republican senators in signing a letter to the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, on Tuesday, asking him…Read More
The United States sent a strongly-worded letter to several UN committees in early August rejecting any implication that there is a right to abortion as “bizarre.” The letter was sent on August 11, 2020, to several United Nations offices including: the Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls; the Special Rapporteur on the Right of…Read More
Proponents of an initiative petition to legalize recreational marijuana and implement sweeping criminal justice reforms say they have withdrawn the measure. Although proponents of State Question 807 were given the go-ahead to collect signatures, they say collecting the 177,958 signatures necessary to qualify for the ballot is unfeasible given the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also…Read More
The US Federal Government has carried out five executions so far this year. Two of those took place last week, and two more are scheduled for the end of September. In response, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has expressed the Church’s opposition to the death penalty in no uncertain terms. Archbishop Paul…Read More
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signaled that a prohibition on federal funding for abortion will be excluded from spending bills next year if Democrats retain a majority in the House of Representatives, setting the state for the end of a 44-year-old bipartisan agreement on abortion funding. The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that Speaker Pelosi…Read More
A federal judge has blocked a rule by the Department of Education for allocating pandemic relief money to private schools. U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction against the rule Thursday. He said the Education Department had exceeded its authority in issuing guidelines for funding distribution beyond what Congress had…Read More