SCOTUS Rules Playgounds Should be Safe for Kids Regardless of Religion

Kids who play on church school playgrounds can be protected too.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that Missouri's taxpayer-funded playground grant which was available to nonprofit programs generally could not be denied to a church school.  FamilyRestoration posted on this matter previously – a case argued by Regent Law graduate, David Cortman, with Alliance Defending Freedom.  

In a 7-2 decision Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the majority, "[T]he exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution all the same, and cannot stand."  

This ruling protects children from religious discrimination, affording them and their families 1^st Amendment freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Should Pregnancy Resource Centers be Compelled to Advertise Abortion?

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will be reviewing petitions to determine whether or not such case(s) will be accepted for argument next term, which begins October 2, 2017. One of the cases to be reviewed considers how far speech about abortion can be compelled.

The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) has brought a suit against the state of California in NIFLA v. Becerra.  The issue presented by this case is whether the free speech and free exercise clause of the First Amendment prohibits California from compelling licensed pro-life centers to post information on how to obtain a state-funded abortion and from compelling unlicensed pro-life centers to disseminate a disclaimer to clients on site and in any print and digital advertising.  The Ninth Circuits opinion can be found here.  To learn more see NIFLA and SCOTUS Blog. 

NIFLA represents more than 1,430 PRC's across the country.  To find a NIFLA Member Center near you, go to www.nifla.org and click on any state below.

While Roe’s Effect on Family Law  has been very harmful to women, marriage, parenting, and romance, A Christian Perspective on Gender Equality is helpful in protecting women from the destruction of abortion.  Family restoration can work to protect the lives of women and children, and pregnancy resource centers work to do just that. 

To understand how abortion has injured women see The Rise and Fall of Women’s Rights: Have Sexuality and Reproductive Freedom Forfeited Victory?  Pregnancy resource centers and the women who visit them need to have free speech rights to discuss their options to save the lives of their unborn children, as well as protect themselves from the harms of abortion.

Farmer Banned from Farmer's Market for Beliefs on Marriage

An organic farmer in Michigan who wants to sell food to anyone and everyone at a local farmer's market has been prohibited from doing so by the city that runs the farmer's market.  Last week East Lansing, Michigan, banned the farmer from participating in this year's market.  Why? Because the farmer believes that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.  Read the full story here.

 

Attorneys for Alliance Defending Freedom who represent the farmer, Steve Tennes, offered this analysis: “Let’s be clear about what’s going on here: Government officials are forcing a farmer to either recant his religious views or give up an opportunity to serve the community. … City officials are thus discriminating against Tennes and his family for their religious views. But the Constitution forbids the government from fencing out people of faith simply because it doesn’t like their beliefs.”

Religious beliefs, even those on marriage in the wake of Obergefell, are protected by religious freedom.  See at page 3 why Marriage, State Domestic Relations Power, and Family Strength do not conflict, but empower a state’s citizenry.

The Cost of Sexual Violence

What are the costs associated with sexual violence?  A group of Canadian survivors of sexual assault are bringing attention to the cost of the violence in their country, according to CBC News.  

“More than 150 sexual assault survivors are sending $7 million worth of invoices to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.  Their goal? To demonstrate just how expensive it is to be attacked,” reported CBC News.

"Often we talk in terms of trauma, emotional harm, but we don't think about the actual logistics....” Those who were students when assaulted stated that tuition costs were enormous, as many victims said they dropped out of school after being assaulted, still holding large school loan debt for a degree they couldn’t complete. Also substantial were ‘legal fees, paying for therapy, paying for medication and other medical procedures’."  

The Huffington Post reported these costs for just one attack:

 

The NY Times reported about a year ago “What One Rape Cost Our Family,” N.Y.TIMES (June 24, 2016), detailing approximately $245,000 in out-of-pocket costs and lost wages for family from daughter’s sexual assault).  

Being aware of and understanding the impact of sexual violence can illuminate how vast and broad in scope such a tragedy can be – for the victim and for broader society.  While family restoration cannot necessarily compensate a victim of these costs, it can work to bring healing to both the victim and society.