Friday, April 30, 2021

West Virginia governor signs law that only girls may play girls’ sports

West Virginia’s governor on Wednesday signed a bill into law clarifying that only females may play girls’ sports in the state. The law, House Bill 3293, prohibits biological males from playing girls’ sports in middle and high schools, as well as at colleges. It allows for female athletes to sue in the case of a…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Catholic dioceses appeal to Supreme Court for protection against New York’s abortion coverage mandate

The dioceses of Albany and Ogdensburg and other Catholic and Christian ministries last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case against New York’s abortion coverage mandate. The 2017 mandate from the state’s Department of Financial Services required that employers cover abortions in their employee health insurance plans. While the state granted a…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Josh Hawley proposes $12K tax credits for married parents

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is striking a populist tone with a new proposal to give big tax credits to families, as long as one of the parents is working. The Missouri Republican announced his plans to create the “Parent Tax Credit” on Monday. The plan would provide a fully refundable tax credit of $6,000 for…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Governor Greenlights Restorative Justice Program

The governor this week signed into law a bill that will allow for a victim-led restorative justice pilot program to be established in the state. The purpose of House Bill 1880, by House Majority Caucus Whip Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, is to divert non-violent offenders from traditional prosecution and incarcerations models. Instead, cases are referred…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Oklahoma Gov Kevin Stitt Signs Bill Banning Abortions When Unborn Baby’s Heart Begins Beating

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt today signed a bill into law that that would ban abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable. Last Tuesday, the state Senate passed the heartbeat bill and two other pro-life measures and today Stitt signed them into law. “I’m keeping my promise to sign all pro-life legislation. We now have…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Connecticut Girls Hit Setback, Press Forward Against Unfair ‘Trans’ Policy

A group of girl athletes are appealing a judge’s rejection of their case against a policy that allows male-born “trans” athletes to compete with females in Connecticut high school sports. After a new pro-LGBT policy was introduced to school sports in Connecticut, biological boys began competing with (and defeating) female athletes in 2017. A number…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Governor Greenlights Restorative Justice Program

The governor this week signed into law a bill that will allow for a victim-led restorative justice pilot program to be established in the state. The purpose of House Bill 1880, by House Majority Caucus Whip Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, is to divert non-violent offenders from traditional prosecution and incarcerations models. Instead, cases are referred…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Oklahoma Gov Kevin Stitt Signs Bill Banning Abortions When Unborn Baby’s Heart Begins Beating

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt today signed a bill into law that that would ban abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable. Last Tuesday, the state Senate passed the heartbeat bill and two other pro-life measures and today Stitt signed them into law. “I’m keeping my promise to sign all pro-life legislation. We now have…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Arkansas Legislature passes bill banning Planned Parenthood from public schools

Arkansas lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a bill that would, if enacted, prohibit Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from providing resources to public schools. Known as the “Arkansas Student Protection Act,” the bill passed the state Senate on Monday in a vote of 27-5, having previously passed the state House of Representatives by a vote…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

OSSBA says girls should compete against transgender athletes

The Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) has called on lawmakers to require female athletes to compete against male athletes who identify as transgender, saying a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports “jeopardizes local control” because it would overrule “the policy school districts have adopted” through the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association “regarding…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

OSSBA says girls should compete against transgender athletes

The Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) has called on lawmakers to require female athletes to compete against male athletes who identify as transgender, saying a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports “jeopardizes local control” because it would overrule “the policy school districts have adopted” through the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association “regarding…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Biden Admin Files Appeal To Force Doctors to Perform “Trans” Surgeries

The Biden administration filed an appeal Tuesday against a January federal court order in North Dakota that said the government cannot force doctors to perform controversial “gender reassignment” surgeries against their consciences. Lawyer Luke Goodrich, who serves as chief counsel for the pro-religious liberty law firm Becket, called the move an attempt to establish a…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

House Passes Ban on Transgender Women in Female Sports

A “shucked” bill revived legislation which bans transgender girls and women from female sports in Oklahoma won House approval on Monday by a vote of 73 to 19. Senate Bill 2 was presented by Representative Toni Hasenbeck. Tulsa World’s Randy Krehbiel writes that many Republicans argued for the bill on the basis of “fair play”…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Church Anti-Closure Bill Heads to Governor

House Bill 2648 is called the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act and exempts churches and other places of worship from having to close even during a public health emergency like a pandemic. The Senate gave its approval to the measure on Tuesday sending it to the governor’s desk. “Our religious freedoms have come under attack in…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Sen. Daniels wins Senate approval for bills to protect the unborn

The Senate has given approval to a pair of bills to reduce the number of abortions in Oklahoma. Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, is Senate principal author of House Bill 2441, by House principal author, Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell.  Under this bill, no abortion could be performed on an unborn baby who has a detectable heartbeat.…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

House Passes Ban on Transgender Women in Female Sports

A “shucked” bill revived legislation which bans transgender girls and women from female sports in Oklahoma won House approval on Monday by a vote of 73 to 19. Senate Bill 2 was presented by Representative Toni Hasenbeck. Tulsa World’s Randy Krehbiel writes that many Republicans argued for the bill on the basis of “fair play”…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Church Anti-Closure Bill Heads to Governor

House Bill 2648 is called the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act and exempts churches and other places of worship from having to close even during a public health emergency like a pandemic. The Senate gave its approval to the measure on Tuesday sending it to the governor’s desk. “Our religious freedoms have come under attack in…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Sen. Daniels wins Senate approval for bills to protect the unborn

The Senate has given approval to a pair of bills to reduce the number of abortions in Oklahoma. Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, is Senate principal author of House Bill 2441, by House principal author, Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell.  Under this bill, no abortion could be performed on an unborn baby who has a detectable heartbeat.…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

USCCB: Permitting mail-order abortion pills places women’s health ‘in serious jeopardy’

The pro-life chair of the U.S. bishops’ conference on Friday warned that loosening federal regulations of the abortion pill places women’s health “in serious jeopardy.” Earlier this week, the acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that during the COVID-19 pandemic the agency would allow for the abortion pill regimen to…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

White House says it will increase refugee cap in May

President Joe Biden will increase the refugee admissions limit by May 15 – after reports that he would keep the refugee cap at its record-low level for this fiscal year. “The President’s directive today has been the subject of some confusion.  Last week, he sent to Congress his budget for the fiscal year starting in…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Twice as Many Kids Now Raised by Single Moms

A new report from the Census Bureau indicated the number of children being raised by single mothers doubled in the last 50 years. “About 7.6 million (11%) children lived with their mother only in 1968 compared to 15.3 million (21%) in 2020,” the Bureau found. Brad Wilcox, a senior fellow at the Institute for Family…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

More states pass bills aimed at protecting women’s sports

State legislatures of West Virginia and Kansas recently passed bills restricting participation in women’s sports to one’s biological sex and not gender identity. New legislation in West Virginia would require participation in single-sex sports teams and events to be based on the “biological sex of the athlete at birth.” The bill passed the state legislature…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Monday, April 19, 2021

Amazon Reinstates Book Critical Of Trans Identity For Children After Claiming To Have Banned It In ‘Error’

Amazon has reinstated sales of a book critical of transgender identity among children after complaints from the author, who speculates many others might have joined her in the pushback. Earlier this week, Maria Keffler’s new book, “Desist, Detrans, & Detox: Getting Your Child Out of the Gender Cult,” had sold less than 100 copies across…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Charleston diocese sues South Carolina for barring Covid-relief funds from private schools

The Diocese of Charleston filed a suit against South Carolina on Wednesday challenging the state’s “Blaine Amendment”, which prohibits public funds from going to private schools. The state supreme court has blocked the governor’s efforts to provide Covid-relief funding to private schools and the parents of private school students, citing the state’s Blaine Amendment. Bishop…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Thursday, April 15, 2021

New Mexico’s Dangerous, Discriminatory Assisted Suicide Law

In the midst of a pandemic, the New Mexico state legislature ignored the needs of its constituents—many of whom lack basics like reliable electricity and running water, never mind basic medical care—in favor of passing a dangerous and discriminatory assisted suicide law. This and similar policies in other states have proven the failure of proponents…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

FDA Lifts Restriction on Remote Prescriptions of Abortion Drugs

The Biden administration cited the coronavirus pandemic to give the green light to at-home, self-administered abortions on Monday. The FDA said it will allow the prescription of an abortion pill, mifepristone, through the mail, reversing Trump administration restrictions on remote prescription of abortion drugs. The agency wrote that because “the in-person dispensing of mifepristone for medical termination…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Federal court upholds Ohio’s Down syndrome abortion ban

A federal court on Tuesday upheld an Ohio law prohibiting doctors from performing abortions based on a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The full Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 9-7 to lift an injunction on Ohio’s Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act, signed into law by former Republican governor John Kasich in 2017. A federal district…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

California Lifts Capacity Limits on Religious Gatherings Following Supreme Court Ruling

California lifted all capacity restrictions on religious gatherings on Monday, following the Supreme Court’s ruling over the weekend that the state’s restrictions were too harsh. “In response to recent judicial rulings, effective immediately, location and capacity limits on places of worship are not mandatory but are strongly recommended,” the state announced on Monday. The state’s…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

NCAA threatens Oklahoma over transgender athletes

In a newly released statement, the NCAA Board of Governors indicates it may not allow college championships to be held in Oklahoma unless the state requires female athletes to compete against transgender athletes—those born male who now identify as female. One lawmaker who benefited from an athletic scholarship in college said the state should be…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

NCAA threatens Oklahoma over transgender athletes

In a newly released statement, the NCAA Board of Governors indicates it may not allow college championships to be held in Oklahoma unless the state requires female athletes to compete against transgender athletes—those born male who now identify as female. One lawmaker who benefited from an athletic scholarship in college said the state should be…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

SCOTUS Rules Against CA Restrictions on Home Prayer Gatherings

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of religious complainants against a California COVID restriction on in-home religious gatherings. “…California treats some comparable secular activities more favorably than at-home religious exercise,” the Friday ruling stated in part, “permitting hair salons, retail stores, personal care services, movie theaters, private suites at sporting events and concerts, and…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

New Catholic Classical Education Schools Advance as Pandemic Recedes

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Catholic parents at Corpus Christi Catholic Church became more determined than ever to launch a new Catholic high school. Now, Corpus Christi Academy is one of many new Catholic schools in the classical liberal arts tradition that are getting ready to launch this fall, with in-person, hybrid or even online…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Bill requiring burial or cremation of aborted babies advances in Tennessee

A bill on the burial of the bodies of aborted fetuses advanced through the Tennessee Senate and House earlier this week. The bill, HB 1181, would require medical providers either to cremate or to bury the fetal remains following an abortion. Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Tim Rudd, said the bill is designed to honor…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Crisis: Record Number Of Migrants Taken Into Custody At Southern Border In March, Highest Number Of Child Migrants Ever Recorded

United States Customs and Border Protect (CBP) reported a record number of illegal immigrants taken into custody at the United States-Mexico border in March — the most in nearly two decades, according to an official release. That number includes 19,000 child migrants, the “largest monthly number ever recorded …,” according to the Chicago Tribune. CBP…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Wyoming Governor Signs Born Alive Act

Republican Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has signed the Born Alive Act into law, legislation that requires doctors to care for babies born alive in botched abortions. Senate File 34, which passed the Wyoming House 48-11, requires doctors to use “commonly accepted means of care” for “the treatment of any infant born alive.” “Any physician performing…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Court: Government can’t interfere in Catholic schools’ mission

Catholic schools must be free to uphold the Church’s teachings, lawyers for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis said after a federal judge allowed a lawsuit against the archdiocese to proceed. Judge Richard Young of the Southern District of Indiana ruled on March 31 that a former counselor at a Catholic school in the archdiocese, who was…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Utah to Require Fathers to Pay for Half of Prenatal Care amd Pregnancy Costs

Jean Hill, director of the Archdiocese of Salt Lake City’s Office of Life, Justice and Peace, said that the diocese supported the final version of the bill. A new law in Utah will require fathers to pay for half of the mother’s cost of pregnancy, making Utah the first state to mandate prenatal child support…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Arkansas lawmakers override Hutchinson veto on transgender youth bill

The Arkansas State Legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s (R) veto on legislation that bans gender reassignment surgeries and other treatments for transgender youth. The majority-Republican state House voted 72 to 25 to approve the controversial bill before sending the legislation back to the state Senate, which rejected the governor’s veto of the bill in…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Point of view: Public funds for public schools is a hollow slogan

“No public money for private schools.” This slogan, employed against the idea of public funding for parents to choose which schools their children attend, is so void of meaning, so vapid in its reasoning. Such is the wit and wisdom in the Public Funds for Public Schools OK Coalition’s (PFPS) name. This coalition of the usual suspects — unions, insider associations and a couple…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Governor Stitt Signs Most Transformative Education Reform in State History Into Law

Governor Kevin Stitt signed the most transformative education reform legislation in Oklahoma history into law today in a ceremony in the Blue Room at the Capitol. House Bill 2078 and Senate Bill 783 allow for students to attend public schools that best meet their needs and modernize the funding formula to match enrollment counts more…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Court allows professor to challenge university’s transgender pronoun mandate

A federal appeals court has allowed a philosophy professor to sue a public university in Ohio after he faced disciplinary action for declining to use female pronouns for a male student who identified as a transgender woman. The court ruled his legal challenge on grounds of academic freedom, free speech and free exercise of religion…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

In a Rebuke to Teachers Unions, School Choice Is Going Gangbusters in the States

School districts are slowly beginning to reopen in-person instruction after being closed for nearly a year—or, in many places, for over a year. While this is a wonderful development, it will never erase what parents experienced last year: uncertainty, inconsistency, and, in some cases, ineptitude from public schools. The events of the last year have…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Arkansas governor signs landmark medical conscience objection law

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law on Friday legislation allowing doctors to decline to perform non-emergency medical procedures that violate their moral or religious beliefs. The law will take effect by August 2021. “I support this right of conscience so long as emergency care is exempted and conscience objection cannot be used to deny…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)


via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma

Governor Stitt Signs Most Transformative Education Reform in State History Into Law

Governor Kevin Stitt signed the most transformative education reform legislation in Oklahoma history into law today in a ceremony in the Blue Room at the Capitol. House Bill 2078 and Senate Bill 783 allow for students to attend public schools that best meet their needs and modernize the funding formula to match enrollment counts more…Read More



(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

from via Blog – Catholic Conference of Oklahoma