Arkansas lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban nearly all abortions in the state in what lawmakers and pro-life advocates hope will serve as a new challenge to Roe v. Wade. On Nov. 18, State Sen. Jason Rapert (R) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R) introduced Senate Bill 6, to create the Arkansas Unborn Child Protection…Read More
Kentucky’s four Catholic dioceses will not suspend public Masses despite the governor’s request that religious services be held online only until December 13. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) requested that houses of worship stop having in-person services in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Kentucky has been experiencing a spike in the number…Read More
In the wake of more federal executions scheduled in coming weeks, two bishop chairmen have issued a statement calling on the Administration to act as a witness to the dignity of all human life. Archbishop Paul S Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and…Read More
One of the bright spots in Oklahoma’s education system is the Lindsey Nicole Henry (LNH) Scholarship program, which provides private-school vouchers to children with disabilities, children in the foster care system, and children adopted out of state custody. Named after former-Governor Brad Henry’s daughter, the program has more than 1,000 students and 62 schools participating.…Read More
Archbishop José Gomez said Tuesday evening that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is setting up a team to deal with policies the future president may put in place which diverge from Church teaching. He announced the move at the conclusion of the public portion of the USCCB Fall plenary assembly, which was…Read More
In the wake of more federal executions scheduled in coming weeks, two bishop chairmen have issued a statement calling on the Administration to act as a witness to the dignity of all human life. Archbishop Paul S Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and…Read More
The U.S. bishops’ new chairman-elect for Catholic education says he hopes to bring his experience as a Catholic school teacher and president, as well as pastor of two parishes, into his new position. In an increasingly secular society, when people’s lives seem more and more to lack meaning, “our schools remind us of Christ’s love…a…Read More
One of the bright spots in Oklahoma’s education system is the Lindsey Nicole Henry (LNH) Scholarship program, which provides private-school vouchers to children with disabilities, children in the foster care system, and children adopted out of state custody. Named after former-Governor Brad Henry’s daughter, the program has more than 1,000 students and 62 schools participating.…Read More
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has stripped its website of a memo issued by the state attorney general, which warns that the agency has acted illegally in its administration of a state program for children with special needs. An OSDE spokesperson said the document is shielded from public view by attorney-client privilege. The…Read More
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has stripped its website of a memo issued by the state attorney general, which warns that the agency has acted illegally in its administration of a state program for children with special needs. An OSDE spokesperson said the document is shielded from public view by attorney-client privilege. The…Read More
The governor of Delaware has settled a federal lawsuit over church-related COVID-19 restrictions, which he had imposed at the start of the pandemic in March. In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, Governor John Carney agreed this week that in any future emergency requiring state actions, he “must treat churches and religious worship in a neutral…Read More
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has spoken of his concern that religious liberty is under threat in the United States. The justice spoke out on Thursday about a range of issues which, he said, were challenging basic legal freedoms in the country. The justice warned that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was acting as a “stress…Read More
Government restrictions on religion are at their highest since tracking began in 2007, the Pew Research Center has said in its new report, finding that 56 countries reached “high” or “very high” levels of restrictions on religion in 2018. “In 2018, the global median level of government restrictions on religion – that is, laws, policies…Read More
In a largely-unreported-but-hope-inspiring victory for pro-life Americans, the number of pro-life women in the U.S. House of Representatives will more than double in the new Congress. The 2020 election resulted in 16 — and counting — pro-life female candidates elected to the House for the first time; 11 more incumbents held their seats, with three…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt is vowing to heed a call by 22 GOP lawmakers Wednesday to seek an investigative audit into state education officials’ oversight of public school cost accounting. The move comes on the heels of State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd’s recent findings, which questioned the oversight of Epic Charter Schools’ use of taxpayer…Read More
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in the latest legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act. How the court might decide the case was a crucial part of Democratic opposition to the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the court last month. In the cases of California v. Texas and Texas v. California,…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt is vowing to heed a call by 22 GOP lawmakers Wednesday to seek an investigative audit into state education officials’ oversight of public school cost accounting. The move comes on the heels of State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd’s recent findings, which questioned the oversight of Epic Charter Schools’ use of taxpayer…Read More
Pro-life advocates are hopeful the Supreme Court will review an abortion law in Mississippi, even though the court once again delayed its decision on whether to hear the case. Lynn Fitch, the state’s attorney general, has asked the court to review its law, which bans abortion after fifteen weeks of gestation and has been challenged by…Read More
Ongoing and renewed shutdowns of public schools across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in astonishing public school enrollment drops. NPR recently reported that public school districts in at least 20 states have seen shrinking numbers of students this fall, with Orange County and Miami-Dade County in Florida down 8,000 and 16,000…Read More
Planned Parenthood on Tuesday dropped a lawsuit challenging several abortion restrictions in Arizona, including a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions, laws that bar non-physicians from carrying out abortions, and state laws against telemedicine abortions. In a notice dated Nov. 3, Planned Parenthood Arizona voluntarily and without explanation dismissed its lawsuit against Arizona attorney…Read More
The race between Bice and Kendra Horn for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District was a close race after a long campaign. One way Bice and the GOP were able to reclaim the seat was by winning the Election Day vote by more than enough to overcome Horn’s lead in the early vote. Elation filled the GOP…Read More
Voters in Washington approved a ballot measure that will require “comprehensive sex education” in public schools. Washington’s Catholic bishops opposed the measure. Nearly 60% of Washington voters approved the measure. The Catholic bishops in Washington said the measure promoted an educational program detrimental to young people, and contrary to the truths of human dignity, human…Read More
Shortly after midnight on election night, both President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden had won states key to their election. Trump won swing states Florida and Ohio, and was expected to win North Carolina. Biden was expected to win Arizona, which Trump won in 2016. Trump led in Georgia, and in swing states…Read More
The race between Bice and Kendra Horn for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District was a close race after a long campaign. One way Bice and the GOP were able to reclaim the seat was by winning the Election Day vote by more than enough to overcome Horn’s lead in the early vote. Elation filled the GOP…Read More
Washington state voters have a chance to reject a new “comprehensive” sex education law this Election Day, and the state’s Catholic bishops say they should. Meanwhile, Nevada voters can decide whether to preserve constitutional language recognizing marriage as a union of one man and one woman, although the state is required by a 2015 Supreme…Read More
A strong majority of New Zealand voters approved the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia for the terminally ill Oct. 30. Foes of legalization said many voters appeared confused about the measure’s far-reaching effects and warned that the move will have consequences for the vulnerable. The nationwide referendum passed with support from 65% of voters…Read More
As the country’s attention turns ever closer to Tuesday’s presidential election, the Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments the next day in a pivotal case with far-reaching consequences for the future of religious liberty in America – Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. The case presents the question of whether the First Amendment protects the…Read More