KFUO Radio News Break

In today's News:

Lutherans help tornado victims 

Late Monday, a devastating tornado went through Fultondale, Alabama, leaving a path of destruction through the town that has killed and injured residents as well as destroyed homes, schools and businesses. This tornado was located just a few miles from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gardendale, where Pastor Ed Brashier, Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, serves. Kathy O'Day, Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) director of Disaster Response, spoke to Brashier, who has been checking on congregation members and will be assessing damage in Fultondale as soon as first responders say it is safe to do so. He and his L.E.R.T. team began work early Tuesday morning helping a congregation member remove a tree from the roof of their home. LCC L.E.R.T. chainsaw teams are on standby to deploy and assist if requested. 

Concordia Texas welcomes nursing students 

At a time when the demand for nurses in central Texas is surging, Concordia University Texas has welcomed 288 new students so far this year to its traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. But they didn’t report to main campus as usual. In August 2020, under many COVID constraints, the university opened the doors to its Austin Nursing Satellite Campus. The new, interactive learning environment spans 17,000 square feet, complete with a cutting-edge simulation lab, a 10-bed clinical skills lab and simulation debriefing rooms. The building also houses a student lounge and administrative and faculty offices. Rooted in the university’s Christian values, the nursing program features an accredited and rigorous curriculum delivered utilizing an interactive e-learning platform, along with hands-on skills training and clinical rotations at the area’s top hospitals. 

Illinois insurance guidelines investigated 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights has informed the Thomas More Society that it is investigating whether Illinois has violated federal law by promulgating and enforcing the Illinois Reproductive Health Act, which generally requires Illinois health insurance plans to cover abortion. A Jan. 19, 2021, letter to the Thomas More Society from Luis Perez, deputy director of the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division of the Office for Civil Rights, states that the Office for Civil rights has reviewed the Thomas More Society’s October 2019 complaint and is investigating whether the state of Illinois, which receives various funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, complies with the federal Weldon Amendment. Specifically, the Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether Illinois, through its Department of Insurance and Department of Central Management Services, is discriminating against health plan issuers and plans that would offer health coverage that limited or excluded abortion coverage but are prohibited from doing so by the Reproductive Health Act. 

Connecticut legislature considers euthanasia bill 

An assisted suicide bill being considered in Connecticut faces opposition from disability rights activists over what they contend is a lack of safeguards against the abuse of vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or the disabled. The legislature in the Nutmeg State is considering a bill that would allow physicians to provide lethal prescriptions to terminally sick adult patients who want to end their lives.

In today's News:

Court hears arguments for praying coach 

Yesterday, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit again heard oral argument in the case of Coach Joe Kennedy, the longtime Bremerton, Washington, football coach who was fired after the 2015 season because he took a knee in brief, personal prayer after football games. First Liberty Institute and others collectively represent Kennedy. In January 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case at that time and instead allowed Coach Kennedy’s case to continue through the court system. In a separate statement written by Justice Alito and joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, the justices explained that the Court needed more information in order to resolve the matter. As Alito wrote, “The Ninth Circuit’s understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers is troubling and may justify review in the future.” The case then returned to the district court for further review where, in January, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton granted the Bremerton school district’s motion for summary judgment. Kennedy’s attorneys then appealed to the Ninth Circuit. 

Texas’ abortion ban thrown out 

The United States Supreme Court has reversed a lower court decision that upheld a temporary ban on most abortions in Texas, asking the appellate court to dismiss the case as moot. The Supreme Court granted the petition of Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics to reverse a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld an executive order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banning most abortions in an effort to free up hospital space for coronavirus patients. The Fifth Circuit's ruling itself reversed a judge's ruling at the district court level. Abbott's executive order came in March, 2020, a time when most U.S. states had implemented shutdowns of varying intensity in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. 

Pro-life views termed ‘violence’ 

In a recent trend, abortion activists have been declaring the at espousing pro-life views is “violence.” One example came on the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris released a joint statement celebrating the “landmark ruling.” The statement lamented the “relentless and extreme attack” of the previous administration on “reproductive health, including the right to choose,” and they pledged to appoint Roe-friendly judges and to codify the ruling into federal law. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee responded to Harris’ tweet linking the statement with his own tweet pointing out “abortion isn’t healthcare.” In a subsequent tweet, he urged followers to support Hope Clinic, a pregnancy resource center that staffs OB/GYNS and nurses and offers a variety of health services. In response, Francie Hunt, executive director of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Action, falsely claimed that the governor’s tweet could lead to violence. “political violence is a real danger in this country, and when the governor implies that abortion is something other than life-saving health care, it puts us all in danger,” she asserted.

In today's News:

President celebrates Roe v. Wade anniversary 

President Joe Biden released a statement celebrating the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that has resulted in killing 62-million babies abortions. The decision, handed down on Jan. 22, 1973, overturned pro-life laws offering protection for unborn children in most states across the country, and made abortions legal and virtually unlimited. In the last two years, several states have approved new legislation making abortions legal up to the moment of birth. The state of New York led the way and even infamously cheered passage of the bill for unlimited abortions and lit up One World Tower pink to cheer baby-killing. Other states such as Illinois, New Mexico, Vermont and Massachusetts followed suit — either passing or attempting to pass laws overturning every single pro-life law in the state and implementing unfettered access to abortion any time, for any reason and at taxpayer expense. 

Kentucky moves to protect abortion survivors 

The Kentucky Born Alive Infant Protection Act became law Friday, ensuring that babies who survive abortions in the state will receive the basic medical care that they deserve. State Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Crofton, who sponsored the pro-life legislation, noted the significance of the date: the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, The Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The new Kentucky law protects babies from infanticide by requiring abortionists and medical workers to provide “appropriate and reasonable” medical care to newborns who survive abortions. It also recognizes abortions survivors as legal persons and imposes penalties on those who fail to provide basic medical care to them. 

Judge refuses to restrain pro-abortion harassers 

A Tennessee woman is appealing to the Tennessee Court of Appeals after a lower court refused to issue protection orders against four radical abortion militants for stalking her outside an abortion facility in Bristol, Tenn. Thomas More Society attorneys filed their opening brief with the Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, Jan. 15, 2021, on behalf of the petitioner, Erika Schanzenbach. The appeal asks the court to correct the Sullivan County Chancery Court’s refusal to grant Schanzenbach relief after erroneously concluding that protection orders were not “the proper avenue” for stopping the accused’s repeated and relentless harassment against her outside an abortion facility. The judge ruled that Schanzenbach did not prove she was distressed since she continues to witness to life outside the abortion facility — even though Schanzenbach testified that she persists only because of her sincerely held religious duty to speak up for the voiceless no matter her opposition. 

Boston refused to fly Christian flag 

The city of Boston can stop a citizen from flying a Christian flag over City Hall, the First Circuit ruled on Friday. The petitioners say they will go to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that censoring a private flag because it contains a cross amounts to violation of the First Amendment,

In today's News:

Concordia alumni/student fights infant mortality 

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports that Detroit’s infant mortality rate is 2.5 times higher than the national average, putting it on par with a developing nation. Three alumni and one current student at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., are attempting to reduce that mortality rate by working with the Luke Project 52 Clinic, which provides personalized prenatal and infant care at no cost to any family who needs it. The clinic was started in 2016 by the Rev. Brad Garrison, a Lutheran pastor and pharmacist, and his wife, Sherie, who has more than 40 years’ experience as a nurse. 

Today is National Sanctity of Human Life Day 

Before leaving office, President Donald Trump proclaimed today, Jan. 22, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day as it marks the 48th year since the U.S. Supreme Court decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton — the infamous abortion opinions that opened the door to kill unborn babies up to birth. Since 1973, more than 62-million unborn children have been killed in what should be the safest place — the womb. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation designating Jan. 22 as the National Sanctity of Human Life Day as the result of the influence of one woman, Dr. Mildred Jefferson, who worked tirelessly in support of personhood for every unborn child. Dr. Jefferson was the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School and the first female surgeon at the Boston University Medical Center. 

Supreme Court may consider another abortion case 

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled today to consider a Mississippi law that protects unborn babies and mothers by banning abortions after 15 weeks. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch asked the high court to uphold the pro-life law last year, but the justices have not decided yet whether to take up the case. SCOTUS blog reports the justices did not act on the case during their private conference on Jan. 15, but they are scheduled to meet again today. Notably, today is the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that forced states to legalized abortion on demand. The Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, challenges the current legal precedent that blocks states from protecting unborn babies from abortions before they are viable. 

Lawmakers move to protect women’s sports 

Montana lawmakers have introduced a bill protecting girls’ sports in schools, after President Joe Biden signed an executive order forcing them to allow transgender biological males to compete with them. The Save Women’s Sports Act will require public school athletic teams to be designated based on biological sex. The bill cites testosterone levels and other differences between the genders that would create an unfair playing field for young girls to compete under Biden’s order. 

Gender-confused victory in Alabama 

A federal judge has ruled that an Alabama law requiring residents to provide proof of gender reassignment surgery before they can change the sex listed on their driver's license is unconstitutional.

In today's News:

Biden’s committee funnels money to abortion/LGBT groups

The Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee has listed Planned Parenthood and LGBT organizations as the beneficiaries of any donations made for the flags which took the place of spectators on the National Mall, as Biden marks his first day in office by emphasizing his links to abortion and LGBT ideology. Some of the groups mentioned include: Stonewall Community Development Corporation; Rainbow Family 808 Com Inc; Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund; National Center for Lesbian Rights; The Trevor Project; Wanda Alston Foundation; Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center; Howard Brown Health Center; Henderson Equality Center; Planned Parenthood Federation of America; LGBT Center of Greater Reading; Equality Maine Foundation; GLAAD.

White House website now asks for pronouns

Just hours after Democrat Joe Biden’s swearing-in as President of the United States, the official White House contact page has already been updated to ask users to include their preferred gender pronouns, another early gift to LGBT activists. Among the White House website contact page’s usual fields for name, prefix, phone number, and such is a new “pronouns” field, with the options “she/her,” “he/him,” “they/them,” “Other,” and “Prefer not to share.” The change is in line with the aggressively pro-LGBT platform Biden ran on, the centerpiece of which was forcing widespread accommodation of homosexuality and “gender fluidity” on private citizens by urging passage of the so-called Equality Act. During the campaign, he went so far as to endorse children as young as eight “deciding” they’re transgender, and earlier this week he chose Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine, a man who claims to be a woman, as Assistant Secretary of Health.

Medical group affirms adoption

In an updated statement published today, the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) affirms adoption as the best option for children who cannot be raised within their natural families. An appropriate adoptive family provides a child with love, permanency, stability, and the same legal rights as a child born into that family. Dr. Leah Wilson is a board-certified pediatrician, ACPeds director, and adoptive parent. She knows firsthand that an infant’s adoptive placement is a courageous, loving, and life-giving alternative to abortion. Dr. Wilson states, “Women experiencing a crisis pregnancy should receive counseling about options including open and semi-open adoption arrangements. Women considering abortion due to an adverse prenatal diagnosis should also be informed of the availability of adoptive families for children born with disabilities.”

Governor vetoes pro-life legislation

As expected, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a pro-life bill Tuesday that would give the attorney general power to hold abortion facilities accountable to basic health and safety standards. WAVE 3 News reports state House Bill 2 was one of five bills that the pro-abortion Democrat governor rejected this week. The others involved the governor’s powers in a crisis, such as the coronavirus pandemic. Sponsored by state Rep. Joseph Fichter, R-Fort Thomas, the pro-life legislation would give the state attorney general power to hold abortion facilities accountable if they do not comply with state health regulations. Currently, that power rests with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which is led by the current governor’s appointee.

In today's News:

Pro-Life Action League founder passes 

Joe Scheidler, founder of the Pro-Life Action League, received his eternal reward Jan. 18 at the age of 93. He was affectionately dubbed the “godfather of the pro-life movement” and a “racketeer for life.” The announcement was made on social media by the Pro-Life Action League. Scheidler, a former Benedictine monk and journalism professor, was active in the pro-life movement for decades and may be best known for being a named plaintiff in the RICO lawsuit, NOW v. Scheidler, a landmark case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court three times. With help from the Thomas More Society, the plaintiffs, including Scheidler, prevailed in protecting the free speech rights of pro-lifers. 

Oregon abortion business closes 

An abortion business in Oregon that killed babies in abortions for almost 50 years has finally closed. Oregon’s largest independent and oldest abortion company, Lovejoy Surgicenter, has closed, just shy of 50 years in business. The abortion center killed babies in abortions up to 24 weeks into pregnancy, when unborn children are viable and can survive outside the womb. Lois Anderson, the director of Oregon Right to Life, told LifeNews.com she was excited by the news. Lovejoy Surgicenter conducts abortions through 24 weeks of pregnancy. Those done between 20-24 weeks, 5-6 months gestation, abortions are three-day procedures, according to the abortion facility’s website. These abortions carry more risks, and life-threatening complications can occur that the outpatient facility is not equipped to handle. However, the closing may be short lived. According to Anderson, a Seattle-based abortion practitioner has purchased the abortion center and will be reopening it in March. The Lovejoy web site indicates it will reopen at a new location on March 1, “under new management.” 

Court halts religious discrimination policy 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit’s decision last Friday to grant a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit A.H. v. French that stops Vermont officials from excluding religious-school students from the state’s dual enrollment program, which had allowed public, private secular and home-school students to enroll at not cost to them in two college courses before graduating high school but denies that same opportunity to religious-school students. Attorneys for a high school student, her parents and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington filed the lawsuit in district court. They argued that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue and in the Alliance Defending Freedom caseTrinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, support ending Vermont’s discrimination in its dual enrollment program. 

Transgender law put on hold 

A federal court in North Dakota just blocked a requirement known as the transgender mandate that would force medical professionals and religious hospitals to perform gender transition procedures on their patients — including children — even when the procedures are potentially harmful.

In today's News:

National Sanctity of Human Life Day is proclaimed 

Ahead of his departure from the White House tomorrow, President Donald Trump Sunday issued a presidential proclamation recognizing this Friday as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. This year marks the fourth year in a row that Trump has recognized National Sanctity of Human Life Day in January. Jan. 22 marks the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling making abortion a national right. The president used the proclamation to speak out against the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade, tout his administration’s accomplishments on behalf of the pro-life movement and call on the American people to respect the sanctity of life. The proclamation praises the activism of the pro-life movement and its advocates, who support policy initiatives that restrict the legality of abortion. 

Ban on aborting Down Syndrome abortions proposed 

In her Jan. 12 State of the State address, conservative South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced that she is calling on the state Legislature to pass a law that would ban the killing of unborn children by abortion just because they have Down syndrome. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Down syndrome continues to be the most common chromosomal disorder. Each year, about 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome, which is about one in every 700 babies born." 

Charges dismissed against church deacon 

Thomas More Society attorneys achieved victory for a Moscow, Idaho, church deacon who was wrongly arrested on Sept. 23, 2020, for singing while not wearing a mask at a church-sponsored “Psalm Sing” in the Moscow City Hall parking lot. On Jan. 9, the Idaho District Court signed the order dismissing charges against Gabriel Rench, one of three people arrested among the almost 200 attending the event. The September gathering at which Rench and other churchgoers were arrested was hosted by Christ Church as one of the congregation’s monthly hymn sings. This particular event was held outside City Hall in response to the extension of a restrictive COVID-19-prompted mask mandate imposed by Moscow’s mayor. 

Christians make up 88 percent of Congress 

The 117th United States Congress is made up of 88 percent Christians, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. In a report called “Faith on the Hill,” the Pew Research Center analyzed the religious affiliations of all members of the 117th Congress and compared them to the religious demographics of the U.S. as a whole. Pew obtained the data from a questionnaire conducted by CQ Roll Call asking members about their religious backgrounds. The publication of the Pew report came just one day after the 117th Congress was sworn into session on Jan. 3. Pew has been analyzing the religious composition of members of Congress since the 111th Congress, which met from 2009 to 2011. While the House of Representatives has 435 members and the Senate has 100 members, two House seats and two Senate seats were either vacant or undecided as of Jan. 4, when the report was published, leaving the number of senators and representatives analyzed at 531.

In today's News:

Wedding photographer fights state law 

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is arguing today in federal district court in a Virginia photographer’s lawsuit against state officials. The lawsuit challenges a state law, enacted July 1, 2020, that forces Bob Updegrove to use his artistic talents to photograph same-sex weddings if he photographs weddings between one man and one woman. As explained in ADF’s complaint, that law violates foundational rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution, including the First Amendment’s Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses. ADF attorneys have asked the court to enter an injunction halting enforcement of the law against Updegrove while his lawsuit proceeds, and the state has moved to dismiss the case. The law also forbids Updegrove from publicly explaining on his studio’s own website the religious reasons why he only celebrates wedding ceremonies between one man and one woman. Virginia considers such communications “discriminatory.” The law threatens initial fines of up to $50,000 and then $100,000 per additional violation, along with court orders that could force Updegrove to photograph events against his conscience if he wants to stay in business. 

School district considers posting Ten Commandments 

A North Carolina school board is exploring the possibility of putting Ten Commandments displays near the entrances at each of its school buildings, a possibility that has upset a secular legal group. The Cleveland County School Board first discussed the idea at its Dec. 14 board meeting, drawing support and criticism in the last week from opposing national First Amendment legal groups. Supporters of the measure contend that displays of the Ten Commandments on school grounds are permitted by North Carolina law, as long as they are accompanied by other historical displays. advocates for a strict separation of church and state, sent a letter to Cleveland County School District attorney Colin Shive. In the letter, Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened legal action against the school district if the push to erect the Ten Commandments displays at its schools was not scrapped. 

State’s abortion law challenged by women’s group 

Women in New York filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a radical pro-abortion law that legalizes abortions for basically any reason up to birth in the Empire State. The class action lawsuit argues that the New York Reproductive Health Act, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2019, puts women in danger and violates the fundamental rights of women and children, including unborn babies who can survive outside the womb. Along with expanding late-term abortions, the law repealed criminal charges for killing an unborn baby even in a violent criminal act against the mother. In the lawsuit, victims of domestic abuse slammed New York for denying them and their children justice, the Catholic News Agency reports. 

Pro-life student group wins suit 

Oregon’s Chemeketa Community College has settled a federal lawsuit with a pro-life student group by agreeing to pay $25,000 to cover the cost of legal fees and end a policy confining free speech to a small area of campus. The Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal group representing the Chemeketa Students for Life, announced the settlement last Friday. Before the settlement, which is dated Nov. 10, the college limited outdoor free speech in two small areas of campus. According to the legal group, the taxpayer funded school’s policies restricted the free speech rights of students to just 1.5 percent of the school’s 100-acre campus.

In today's News:

Christian persecution up worldwide

2020 continued a trend of rising persecution around the world, with governments often using COVID-19 restrictions as tools of repression, Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors USA announced in its annual report. Open Doors' 2021 report revealed two important persecution trends in 2020. The number of Christians killed has increased by 60 percent this year, mostly because of Islamic violence against Nigerian Christians. Secondly, anti-Christian governments around the world use COVID-19 restrictions to persecute Christians. In Nigeria, more than 2,200 Christians were murdered by radical Islamists. This number makes up slightly less than half of the 4,761 Christians killed for their faith worldwide, according to Open Doors statistics. Most of the Christians killed in 2020 gave up their lives to extremist groups, not governments.

New York considers assisted suicide

The state of New York is one of the latest to consider embracing assisted suicide. Senate Bill S3151A, or the Medical Aid in Dying Act, was originally introduced in 2017, but died in committee in March of 2018. Another version failed in 2019, yet Assemblyman Kevin Cahill has announced his intentions to resubmit the bill for consideration in 2021 — and one Planned Parenthood political action affiliate is showing its support. Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts released its 2021 legislative priorities, which largely consisted of expanding abortion — but buried at the bottom was a passage linking abortion and assisted suicide under the “bodily autonomy” umbrella.

North Dakota considers spiritual advisors must break confidentiality

Three North Dakota state legislators introduced a bill this week that would oblige clergy to violate the confidentiality in cases of confirmed or suspected child abuse, on penalty of imprisonment or heavy fines. The bill was introduced Jan. 12 by state senators Judy Lee, Kathy Hogan and Curt Kreun, and state representatives Mike Brandenburg and Mary Schneider. The current mandatory reporting law in North Dakota states that clergy are considered mandatory reporters of known or suspected child abuse, except in cases when “the knowledge or suspicion is derived from information received in the capacity of spiritual adviser”, such as in the confessional. The bill, SB 2180, would amend that law to abolish this exception.

Supreme Court rules against mail in abortion drugs

The United States Supreme Court reinstated a requirement enacted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that women seeking to obtain abortion drugs must pick them up in person from a hospital or medical office rather than receiving them by mail. The High Court ruled 6-3 in Food and Drug Administration v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that the FDA abortion drug rule may go into effect and lifted a nationwide injunction against it. It granted the FDA request to reinstate enforcement for the “Elements to Assure Safe Use” in the Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for the chemical abortion pill mifepristone.

In today's News:

Abortions stop in Missouri 

Operation Rescue believes Planned Parenthood in St. Louis has stopped performing abortions and has done none in months. Instead, the group found that the St. Louis facility is referring women to a new Planned Parenthood a few miles across the border in Illinois for abortions. The St. Louis facility still has a license to do abortions, but it is choosing not to. An Operation Rescue spokesman said he believes the reason is because Planned Parenthood does not want to comply with Missouri’s pro-life laws. The St. Louis facility had a poor reputation. Operation Rescue documented 75 medical emergencies at the facility over the past several years. In 2019, state health leaders tried to revoke its license, citing “multiple life-threatening abortions,” but a state commissioner ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood. 

Ohio bans abortion drugs by telemedicine 

On Saturday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill banning the use of telemedicine to administer the abortion pill in the state. The bill, SB 260, would effectively ban telemedicine abortions in Ohio by requiring that a physician be present when the first of the two drugs in the abortion pill regimen is administered to a woman. Failure to abide by this law could result in a fourth-degree felony, and repeated violations of the law could result in the suspension of the offending physician’s medical license. According to the FDA, at least 24 known women have died from complications associated with the abortion pill and countless women have shared their personal stories of the horrific effects they have endured after taking the abortion pill regimen. Despite claims that the abortion pill is as “safe as Tylenol,” it carries with it a four times greater risk of complications than a first trimester surgical abortion. 

Supreme Court sidesteps a First Amendment case 

The U.S. Supreme Court sidestepped an opportunity to rule on behalf of the First Amendment right for pro-life speech around abortion centers. The Supreme Court declined to hear Bruni v. City of Pittsburgh, which challenges a law enacted by the city that bans pro-life speech — even prayer — in painted 15-foot buffer zones outside medical facility entrances. The city then chose to paint such zones outside only two facilities in the entire metropolitan area, Pittsburgh’s two abortion centers, and enforced the ban against pro-life speech only. This bans the free speech of sidewalk counselors and those handing out literature informing pregnant women of resources available for them and their children. However, speech on other subjects has been permitted inside the zone. Despite the language of the ordinance and how it was applied, the lower court interpreted the ordinance in such a way that pro-life speech is permitted. And the lower courts did not apply the Supreme Court’s more recent precedent striking down restrictions on speech (Reed v. Town of Gilbert) and pro-life speech outside an abortion clinic (McCullen v. Coakley), and instead relied upon the older case of Hill v. Colorado.