KFUO Radio News Break

In today's News:

L.A. County wants a contempt ruling against a pastor 

Los Angeles County has expressed its intention to haul Grace Community Church Pastor John MacArthur back into court, attempting to secure a contempt ruling against him, which would involve hefty fines. On Monday, an L.A. superior court judge punted on contempt, but the county told MacArthur’s lawyers that it intends to refile charges in another court. Earlier this month, Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued a preliminary injunction allowing L.A. County to ban indoor church services, but the church has appealed the injunction. MacArthur’s lawyers argue that since they are challenging the preliminary injunction, any contempt proceedings should wait until the underlying constitutionality of the county’s coronavirus lockdown orders has been fully litigated. Yet Los Angeles has refused to wait, instead rushing to use a constitutionally dubious order as a cudgel against Christians who insist on going to church. 

Christian students fight back 

University of Iowa officials were put on notice yesterday after a Christian student group asked a federal appeals court to hold them accountable for targeting and booting the group off campus because it requires its leaders to follow its religious beliefs. Officials at the University of Iowa kicked Business Leaders in Christ off campus and put it on a religious watchlist for simply requiring its leaders to sign a statement of faith 

Professionals support abortion restriction 

More than 130 medical professionals and scientists in Colorado have signed a letter in support of Proposition 115, a ballot measure seeking to ban abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy. Colorado currently has no laws regulating late-term abortion, either restricting the procedure or explicitly protecting it. As a result, abortions can take place up until birth. This November, Proposition 115 will ask voters if they want to ban abortion in the state after 22 weeks of pregnancy, unless a mother’s life is threatened. If the ballot measure passes, doctors would face a three-year suspension of their license for performing or attempting to perform an abortion. Women would not be charged with seeking or obtaining an abortion. More than 150,000 people from across Colorado signed a petition to place the initiative on the upcoming ballot. 

Legislation introduced to protect women’s sport 

A handful of GOP senators, led by Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, introduced legislation on yesterday that would further protect women under Title IX. Loeffler’s “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” makes a biological male’s participation in athletic programs that are designated for women and girls a violation of Title IX. The legislation would penalize schools receiving federal funding that permit such participation from biological males and threatens to pull the federal dollars all together. Loeffler’s legislation targets Title IX’s recognition of biological sex within women and girls’ athletic programs and aims to ensure that sex is accepted based on a person’s reproductive biology at birth. It follows a nationally watched case in Connecticut that resulted in two separate biological males winning multiple championship titles, that were previously held by women, in women’s track contests. The male participants inhibited the women from advancing further in competition.

In today's News:

Lutherans respond to two hurricanes 

On the morning of Sept. 16, just weeks after Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana, another hurricane — category 2 Hurricane Sally — made landfall near Gulf Shores, Ala. About two dozen Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod (LCMS) churches in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi were directly in the path of the storm, expanding the need for hurricane relief efforts already concentrated in Louisiana and Texas. At an early estimate, about 100 Lutheran families in the path of Hurricane Sally have been affected, including multiple church workers. The response to Hurricane Sally will include mucking out homes that have been damaged by flooding, especially in southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Seven of the Synod’s historic black churches were among those in the path of the hurricane. All have buildings between 50 and 100 years old and significant history in the LCMS and the Southern District. 

Concordia Seminary St. Louis hosts virtual event 

College students and men and women considering a second career in ministry are invited to participate in Concordia Seminary, St. Louis’ Virtual Green & Gold Days event, set for 2–4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. Green & Gold Days normally are full-day events that provide a quick opportunity for prospective students to visit campus and see all the Seminary offers. While usually these are in-person visits, the November event will be held online because of the coronavirus pandemic. The event is free, and the registration deadline is Nov. 11. Interested participants can learn more and register at csl.edu/greengold. 

Christian student group challenges ban 

A Christian student group at the university of Iowa will be asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for The Eighth Circuit today to hold school officials accountable for targeting the group’s religious beliefs, in BLinC v. University of Iowa. Business Leaders ln Christ (BLinC) was booted off-campus in 2017 because it asks its leaders to follow its religious beliefs, even though it accepted and served all students. University officials also put 32 religious groups on a special watchlist and deregistered 10 other religious groups, including the Chinese Student Christian Fellowship, the Imam Mahdi Muslim Organization and the Sikh Awareness Club — all for requiring religious leadership. But the university broadly exempted secular groups and even some favored religious groups from its rules, holding BLinC and disfavored religious groups to a very different standard. 

Documents expose illegal abortion industry activity 

Documents detailing repeated requests for aborted fetal body parts from the University of New Mexico (UNM) have been released by abortion on trial. Used as evidence in the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives — a Congressional investigation into the trafficking of aborted body parts after the Center for Medical Progress videos exposed illegal activity in the abortion industry — the e-mails show a long-standing relationship between UNM and the abortion industry. The e-mails show repeated requests from UNM for specific organs, like hearts and brains, while seemingly refusing to acknowledge how the organs were being obtained. In one e-mail, the sender asked rather nonspecifically if the abortion facility would be “getting more fetal tissue,” and requested the abortionist to spare the heart.

In today's News:

City council rejects abortion facilities request 

An Illinois city council rejected a request last week to approve the construction of a fence around an abortion facility to prevent pro-lifers from reaching out to women with information, support and prayer. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Granite City Council of Aldermen narrowly rejected the request in a 5-5 vote with Mayor Ed Hagnauer casting the tie-breaking sixth vote against it. The request came from the Hope Clinic, an abortion facility near the border of Missouri. Around since 1974, it advertises abortions up to 24 weeks, unborn babies are viable outside the womb around 22 weeks now. The abortion facility also tells women how to get Illinois taxpayers to pay for their abortions through Medicaid. 

Undercover journalist files an appeal 

Liberty Counsel has filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of the verdict in the multi-million dollar civil lawsuit against Sandra Merritt for her undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of human baby body parts. From the beginning, the court severely restricted the evidence, and at the end gave instructions to the jury telling them how they should rule on critical issues. The jury decided in favor of the abortion giant on each count and awarded more than $2 million in damages. The case was heard by San Francisco’s U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick III, who is the founder of the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center that houses the Planned Parenthood of Northern California facility in its complex. In 2017, the defense requested that Orrick recuse himself from the case and he refused. Liberty Counsel’s chief litigation counsel Horatio Mihet said, “With the filing of this appeal, Sandra Merritt is one step closer to obtaining the justice that she was denied in the trial court. We are looking forward to the appeal and remain confident that planned parenthood’s legal maneuvering and cover up for its misdeeds will ultimately fail.” 

Colorado to vote on late-term abortions 

Ballot Proposition 115, if supported by a majority of Colorado voters, would prohibit abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy when unborn babies are viable outside the womb. Exceptions would be allowed if the mother’s life is in danger. Currently, Colorado is one of a few states that allows unborn babies to be aborted for any reason up to birth, and late-term abortionists there openly advertise abortions in the third trimester. 

Christian housing community opens 

New housing community in Victoria, Minn., is the first of its kind in the U.S. and is now accepting residence applications. Bethesda Cornerstone Village Victoria is a Christian community offering “joyous living” with state-of-the-art apartment homes and villas to adults 55+ and independent adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The community opened its doors Sept.1. Bethesda cornerstone village is a trusted partner with the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, which provided the financing of this inclusive housing community.

In today's News:

Planned Parenthood sued for defamation 

The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) and its founder David Daleiden, responsible for the 2015 undercover video series exposing top Planned Parenthood leadership negotiating the harvesting and sale of aborted fetal body parts, are suing planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). for defamation in New York federal court after PPFA falsely and repeatedly accused the filmmakers of “manufacture[d]”, “fake”, and “false” undercover video reporting. In sworn deposition testimony in 2019, top planned Parenthood Officials admitted that their own actual statements were captured by the undercover video recordings. PPFA itself stipulated during a federal court trial that the words used by Planned Parenthood officials in the undercover videos “were spoken by those persons”. Yet on Sept. 18, 2019, PPFA issued a press statement claiming Daleiden and CMP filmed and published undercover video “to manufacture a fake smear campaign against Planned Parenthood”. On Nov. 15, 2019, PPFA tweeted that Daleiden and CMP “created a false smear campaign against Planned Parenthood”. After 30 months of undercover work, CMP began releasing its undercover video footage of documenting Planned Parenthood and its business partners’ participation in the harvesting and sale of human fetuses and their body parts from abortions. With each video release, CMP posted the full footage of the conversation with the Planned Parenthood representative, alongside a shorter summary version presenting the most significant parts of the conversation. 

Supermarket chain sued for religious discrimination 

A major supermarket chain is facing a lawsuit after firing two employees over their refusal to wear a rainbow emblem that violates their religious beliefs as part of their work uniform. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against the Kroger Co. Monday in response to action taken by Kroger store no. 625 in Conway, Ark., against two employees. The employees were terminated after they refused to abide by the new dress code, which required them to wear an apron depicting a rainbow-colored heart emblem. The women contended that wearing the apron would amount to an endorsement of the LGBTQ movement, which contradicts their religious beliefs. According to the EEOC, “one woman offered to wear the apron with the emblem covered and the other offered to wear a different apron without the emblem, but the company made no attempt to accommodate their requests.” The EEOC complaint comes more than a year after both women were fired from the supermarket chain. 

Student suspended for posting Bible verse 

A Christian high school student in Ohio was suspended last week after she posted Bible verses on lockers and walls after she saw LGBT Pride flags and posters decorating the halls of her school. Last Friday, mother Tina Helsinger posted a video to her Facebook page featuring her daughter, Gabby, explaining how she ended up being sentenced to an in-school suspension at Lebanon High School. Helsinger explained that as she was coming back from lunch, she saw teachers taking down the Bible verses she put up. Superintendent Todd Yohey clarified to Faithwire that the district’s student code of conduct prohibits the sharing or posting of religious text or imagery on school grounds.

In today's News:

Election official says churches can engage politically

Trey Traynor, chairman of the Federal Election Commission, has reaffirmed that non-profits, including churches and religious leaders, “can absolutely engage” in political speech, like endorsing candidates and hosting them on church property. Traynor referred to a little-known executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 4, 2017, less than four months into his presidency.

Women athletes appeal court decision

Two female athletes who joined a lawsuit in defense of Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act have appealed a federal district court decision that temporarily halts enforcement of the newly enacted law and forces female athletes to compete against males who identify as female while the lawsuit proceeds. Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Wednesday. ADF represents the two collegiate athletes, who run track and cross-country at Idaho State University in Pocatello. The two women, Madison Kenyon and Mary Kate Marshall, are long-time athletes, well familiar with the difference in strength and speed between comparably gifted and trained male and female athletes. ADF attorneys also represent four female athletes in a federal lawsuit in Connecticut, where a policy that allows males who identify as female to compete in girls’ athletic events has consistently deprived the four girls of honors and opportunities to compete at elite levels. The United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has found that the Connecticut policy deprives girls of equal athletic opportunities and violates Title IX.

Case defending faith-based foster care advances

Becket filed the final brief before November’s oral argument in the much anticipated supreme court case defending foster moms and faith-affirming care in Philadelphia. In Fulton v. Philadelphia, Sharonell Fulton and Toni Simms-Busch are defending the faith-affirming foster agency that brought their families together. The Catholic Church has successfully served Philadelphia foster children and families since 1797, more than 150 years before the city government got involved. But, starting in 2018, city officials targeted and threatened to shut down Catholic Social Services’ foster care ministry because it upholds Catholic beliefs about marriage. Sharonell and Toni will be asking the Supreme Court on November 4 to protect the freedom of Catholic Social Services to serve its community without violating its religious beliefs. Sharonell Fulton has fostered more than 40 children over 25 years in partnership with Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia, and Toni Simms-Busch is a former social worker who chose to foster through the same agency because of its stellar reputation. More than 70 percent of the children Catholic Social Services support come from black and other minority communities, as do well more than half of the agency’s foster families. These are the families and children who will be harmed by the city’s actions. In March 2018, city officials stopped allowing foster children to be placed with families who partner with Catholic Social Services when they claimed to discover that Catholic Social Services, an arm of the Catholic Church in Philadelphia, upholds Catholic beliefs about marriage.

In today's News:

LCMS helps Lutherans in Africa

Hand washing has been touted as the best way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But for people who don’t have regular access to soap and water in public places, this can be a challenge. In April, the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod (LCMS) approved a grant of $6,250 to the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church — Sierra Leone to help combat the transmission of covid-19 by increasing public awareness of the need for safety measures such as hand washing and by providing funds to build 154 hand washing stations, one at each church and school. Part of the grant also was used to print and distribute educational materials on good hygiene amid the pandemic. As part of this educational effort, members of the Sierra Leone church are using the Community Health Evangelism curriculum, which pairs health concepts with the gospel.

Concordia Texas offers new online degree programs

Concordia University Texas (CTX), Austin, Texas, is responding to the realities of covid-19 with two, new fully online degree programs. The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a competency-based graduate program to help meet the demand for public health knowledge and leadership. The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care (BSRC) is a degree advancement program for registered respiratory therapists who already hold an associate degree. CTX new online MPH program provides training in eight core competencies, then encourages students to apply them to their own passions, interests and career paths. The 16-month curriculum imparts leadership-level knowledge and skills to teach students how to become policy makers, advocates and change agents. Students can complete a capstone course to gain real-world, hands-on experience in their own specialization or focus. Many health care workers call respiratory therapists the true “heroes of the frontlines” right now, as they provide ventilator support to a high percentage of covid-19 patients. Respiratory therapists also treat any patient with breathing difficulty, often serving those with asthma, respiratory viruses, chronic lung diseases, and in neonatal and intensive care. Respiratory therapists with a two-year degree can now earn a bachelor's degree entirely online through CTX’s degree advancement program. Upcoming cohorts will begin in October 2020 and January 2021.

Christian owned company cancels plans

Chick-fil-A confirmed this week that the company has canceled plans to open a restaurant at San Antonio International Airport in Texas. On Monday, a spokesperson for the Christian-owned fast-food chain said the company won’t pursue plans at this time to open a restaurant in the airport after city officials last year blocked its plans do so, prompting complaints from the state’s attorney general, the passing of new state law, and an FAA investigation. In March 2019, the San Antonio City Council voted to remove Chick-fil-A from a concession agreement with San Antonio International Airport amid unproven accusations of “anti-LGBT behavior.”

In today's News:

Abortionist loses license

The Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners has suspended the temporary medical license of abortionist Leah Nicole Torres and has ordered her to cease and desist the practice of medicine after it found she had lied repeatedly on her permanent medical license application and committed unprofessional conduct. She was ordered to immediately surrender her license certificate. Torres has until Sept. 21 to file an appeal with the Medical Licensure Commission. A full hearing in the matter has been set for Dec. 21, 2020, in Montgomery, Ala.

Another city may become 'sanctuary for the unborn'

One of Texas’ largest cities could soon become the state’s 15th “sanctuary city for the unborn” if pro-life activists have their way. With an estimated population of more than 260,000, Lubbock is the 11th largest city in the Lone Star State. On Aug. 25, State Sen. Charles Perry and State Reps. Dustin Burrows and John Frullo wrote a letter to Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope urging him to enact a sanctuary city ordinance that would ban abortion within city limits. Two weeks after the lawmakers sent the letter to Pope, more than 200 Lubbock residents gathered outside of Lubbock’s citizen’s tower to express support for the proposed ordinance. The letter to Pope comes as Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business, announced plans to open a new abortion clinic in Lubbock by the end of the year. 

Netflix movie criticized

A number of politicians, most of them Republicans, have come out in recent days condemning the new Netflix movie “Cuties,” which has been widely characterized as “child pornography.” Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas wrote in a letter to Attorney General Bill Bar stating, “I urge the department of justice to investigate the production and distribution of this film to determine whether Netflix, its executives, or the individuals involved in the filming and production of ‘Cuties’ violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography.” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley asked the company to answer several questions, including about the fact that Netflix rated the movie “TV-MA” for “language” but not for “its graphic sexual content.” The rating “TV-MA” indicates that “these programs are intended to be viewed by mature, adult audiences and may be unsuitable for children under 17.” Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Tom Cotton Of Arkansas also wrote to Netflix as did Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the only Democrat to question the movie.

The administration tightens Planned Parenthood funding

President Donald Trump took another step to defund the abortion industry yesterday through a new proposed rule to expand the Mexico City Policy. The pro-life policy has been in place during Republican presidential administrations since Ronald Reagan, defunding the International Planned Parenthood Federation and other abortion groups of hundreds of millions of tax dollars. The new proposed rule could lead to even more cuts to pro-abortion groups. Released yesterday in the Federal Register, it would require all groups that receive global health aid contracts to agree not to promote and/or provide elective abortions, The Hill reports. Those that refuse would not receive taxpayer funding. Abortion activist groups quickly blasted the proposal, claiming it “hurts women and families worldwide.”

In today's News:

Illinois launches pro-abortion campaign

A new billboard campaign organized by the Chicago Abortion Fund is drawing attention to Illinois' Medicaid’s taxpayer-funded coverage of “abortion services” for state residents. According to WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR affiliate, the green and white billboards read, “Abortion is healthcare. It’s covered by Illinois' Medicaid. We’re here to help,” and lists the Chicago Abortion Fund’s website. The six signs statewide — including three on high-traffic interstates in the Chicago area as well as two in Peoria and one in Champaign the location of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — are scheduled to remain posted through September.

Navy agrees to provide priests

Less than 24 hours after First Liberty Institute sent a letter to the secretary of defense urging him to act, the United States Navy reversed its decision that it would no longer provide Catholic priests to cover the shortage of catholic military chaplains. First Liberty Institute’s letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper expressed concern over the decision and a series of other recent incidents in the U.S. military that have resulted in unlawful religious discrimination against service members.

College reverses discriminatory policy

Georgia Tech has agreed to change the unconstitutional policies that allowed its student government to deny funding for a speaking event featuring Alveda King, the niece of civil rights Activist Martin Luther King, Jr., because she is “inherently religious.” As part of a settlement ending a federal lawsuit Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed on behalf of the campus chapter of Students for Life, the university agreed to revise its policies to treat all student organizations fairly, regardless of viewpoint, and to pay $50,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees.

SPLC blocks Christian fundraising

A California-based fundraising software company that serves nonprofits will no longer provide service to the national Christian conservative activist organization Family Research Council, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) listing of the organization as an anti-LGBT “hate” group. But after pushback to its decision, MobileCause informed the Christian Post on Thursday that it will review its policy of referring solely to the far-left SPLC to determine which nonprofits with which it won't work.

March for Life theme announced

During what might well be one of the most divided moments in America’s history, organizers of the March For Life are calling the nation to stand united. “Together Strong: Life Unites” will be the theme of the 2021 march for life in Washington, D.C. March For Life leaders announced the mantra for the 48th annual peaceful protest Thursday night, in the nonprofit’s first-ever virtual theme reveal. Next year’s march, set for Jan. 29, will mark the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide, and will take place nine days after the next president is inaugurated.

In today's News:

California church remains open despite fines

The pastor of a large California church that was fined more than $50,000 for holding indoor worship services despite adhering to social distancing guidelines said that even as the county continues to increase penalties, the church will remain open. Jack Trieber, pastor of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, Calif., said Tuesday that Santa Clara County posted an additional order on the church’s doors this week and is fining the congregation $5,000 for each service.

Christian student sues a university

The Catholic former head of Florida State University’s Student Senate is suing the school, saying his religious freedom was violated when he was removed from his position. Jack Denton, a member of Florida State University’s (FSU) class of 2021, was ousted from his position as head of the FSU Student Senate in June when comments he made in a private chat forum for Catholic students were made public. He had claimed that policy positions of blacklivesmatter.com, the ACLU, and Reclaim the Block contradicted the teachings of the Catholic Church, in a conversation about racial justice. A change.org petition called his comments “transphobic and racist” and the student senate subsequently voted to remove him as chair. He unsuccessfully appealed to the student supreme court and to university administrators for his reinstatement.

Lawmakers call for pulling the abortion pill off the market

Ninety-two Members of Congress have written the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) demanding that the abortion pill be pulled from the market as an “imminent hazard to the public health.” Twenty Republican senators led by Texas’s Ted Cruz signed one letter, and 72 GOP House members led by Georgia’s Jody Hice signed another. The lawmakers take aim at a federal judge’s recent decision to block the Trump administration from limiting abortion pills to in-person dispensation by physicians during the covid-19 outbreak, as opposed to letting women take the pills at home without medical supervision.

An abortion clinic is under criminal investigation

It has been confirmed that the death of a woman who visited the West Alabama Women’s Center abortion facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on May 7, 2020, is under criminal investigation. A coalition of pro-life groups, including CEC for Life, Life Legal Defense, Operation Rescue, and other Alabama organizations sought the autopsy report for a woman who reportedly died at Druid City Hospital, soon after leaving the Tuscaloosa abortion facility. The request was submitted on Aug. 5, 2020, by Dr. Patricia Gensemer for “autopsy reports for any females over 14 years of age and under 40 years of age with a date of death for May 7, 2020 in Tuscaloosa County. Your office confirmed on Aug. 5 that files matching this request are finally available.” Dr. Gensemer received a written response dated Aug. 27, 2020, from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, which stated in part, “District Attorney Hays Webb has notified the Alabama Department of Forensic Science that this case remains under criminal investigation. . . Consequently, the final reports in this case are not currently public record.”

In today's News:

A church fights an abortion mandate

A Seattle-area church filed its opening brief yesterday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, asking for reversal of a lower court decision that dismissed the church’s lawsuit against the state of Washington. The lawsuit challenges a state law forcing churches to cover elective abortions in their health insurance plans. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represent Cedar Park Assembly of God, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s mandate requiring the church to cover abortion if it provides its staff members maternity coverage in their group health insurance. As a result of the state’s mandate, the church’s insurance carrier inserted surgical abortion coverage directly into the church’s health plan. The insurer indicated that it would remove the offensive coverage if a court were to hold that the state law is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kreidler, challenges the constitutionality of Washington State Senate Bill 6219, legislation signed into law in March 2018. The legislation requires Cedar Park to provide coverage for abortion if the church also offers maternity care coverage to its employees, or face fines and criminal penalties, including imprisonment.

Department of Education defends female athletes

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to write transgenderism into federal nondiscrimination law does not create a right for gender-confused male students to compete against actual girls, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) concluded in a letter explaining how the divisive ruling factors into its own judgment. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s (CIAC’s) official handbook says the conference “Shall defer to the determination of the student and his or her local school regarding gender identification,” without any conditions pertaining to physical transitions or testosterone levels. This has led to biologically male competitors consistently outperforming actual females and depriving them of numerous opportunities, according to a complaint filed by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) on behalf of runners Selina Soule, Alana Smith and Chelsea Mitchell. The OCR has weighed in on the side of the runners, concluding that the CIAC policy violates the civil rights of female athletes, denying them “benefits and opportunities, including advancing to the finals in events, higher level competitions, awards, medals, recognition, and the possibility of greater visibility to colleges and other benefits.”

Abortion lobby sues

The abortion lobby filed a lawsuit Monday to block another provision of a sweeping pro-life law enacted in Tennessee this year, this time targeting language requiring that abortion-minded women seeking abortion pills be given information on how to reverse them should they change their mind. The omnibus law already faces legal challenge over its ban on abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, and the latest suit, brought by planned parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), challenges the requirement that women seeking a chemical abortion (the “abortion pill”) to be made aware of the abortion pill reversal (APR technique).