Catholic Church in Illinois May Have Hidden Hundreds of Complaints of Sexual Misconduct

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The Catholic Church in Illinois, which includes the Chicago Archdiocese, may have hidden hundreds of allegations of sexual misconduct made against priests and other members of the clergy, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a press conference late Wednesday. . .

“Madigan opened an investigation into the issue in Illinois in August after a grand jury report revealed widespread clergy abuse in Pennsylvania,” the news site continued. “The attorney general has been reviewing thousands of pages of internal documents released from each of Illinois’ six diocese as part of its investigation.”

Each diocese in Illinois has released a list of “credibly” accused members of the clergy, Madigan said, but those lists only include around 185 names, total, and don’t reference other priests who were accused of misconduct but were not “adequately investigated.” Each individual diocese, including Chicago, has its own definition of an “adequate investigation,” and there are no uniform rules for handling claims of sexual misconduct or reporting allegations to law enforcement. . .

The news comes on the heels of a separate report issued by the Midwest Province of Jesuits that claims at least 65 Jesuit brothers and priests across 12 states have been “credibly accused” of sexual misconduct, including 18 priests who operated within the Chicago archdiocese. “Half a dozen” of those priests were teachers at a Chicago-area prep school.

According to the report, one of those priests, Fr. Donald McGuire, was moved around several times over the course of four decades before being finally defrocked in 2007 — only after being convicted of bringing a minor across state lines for the purpose of having sexual contact. (Read more from “Catholic Church in Illinois May Have Hidden Hundreds of Complaints of Sexual Misconduct” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees

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By The New York Times. . .That includes Planned Parenthood, which has been accused of sidelining, ousting or otherwise handicapping pregnant employees, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees.

In interviews and legal documents, women at Planned Parenthood and other organizations with a feminist bent described discrimination that violated federal or state laws — managers considering pregnancy in hiring decisions, for example, or denying rest breaks recommended by a doctor. . .

At Natera, which sells genetic tests for pregnant women, two former employees, Melissa Blain Johnson and Judit Rigo, said they were demoted while on maternity leave. Ms. Johnson, who has sued Natera, also said that she was left feeling like a “guinea pig” when her boss suggested that she and another pregnant employee pose as patients and get genetically tested by a rival company. (Read more from “Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Employees Accuse Organization of Mistreating Pregnant Workers

By The Hill. Former and current Planned Parenthood employees accuse the women’s health organization of mistreating its pregnant workers in a New York Times investigation published Thursday.

The Times interviewed more than a dozen current and former employees who said Planned Parenthood discriminated against workers when they became pregnant and that some offices fostered a culture that discouraged workers from becoming pregnant. . .

“It was looked down upon for you to get pregnant,” Carolina Delgado, who worked in the Planned Parenthood Miami office until 2012, told the newspaper. “I don’t think that any supervisor had to literally say it for us to feel it.”

One former Planned Parenthood hiring manager who worked in California told the Times that she witnessed supervisors declining to promote certain employees depending on whether they were likely to get pregnant.

The Times said that 49 of the organization’s 55 regional offices do not offer paid maternity leave. (Read more from “Planned Parenthood Employees Accuse Organization of Mistreating Pregnant Workers” HERE)

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Why It’s Not Discrimination for Christian Agencies to Only Recruit Christian Foster and Adoptive Parents

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In October, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that claims to be founded on Jewish values, accused South Carolina’s Miracle Hill foster care agency of discrimination for exclusively serving Christian parents. The ADL blasted Miracle Hill’s action of recruiting only Christian foster care parents as “immoral” and “deeply disturbing.”

But the ADL forgets that, for more than a century, American Jewish organizations have placed Jewish children with Jewish families. During World War II, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and the German Jewish Children’s Aid Society (GJCAS) helped Jewish orphans fleeing Nazi persecution find homes with Jewish families in the United States. Five decades later, as Jewish orphans fled the Soviet Union, Jewish organizations in the United States helped them find Jewish homes. This was not a story about discrimination, it was about preservation—of shared traditions, history, and values.

Rather than honor these traditions, the ADL has joined the American left’s ongoing crusade to eradicate faith from our nation’s foster care and adoption agencies. In Philadelphia, Catholic Social Services is desperately fighting the city for the right to continue to serve children without sacrificing its Catholic principles. In Buffalo, New York, Catholic Charities was forced to end its adoption services because of its practice of placing a child only with both a mom and a dad. . .

The ADL thinks that publicly funding faith-based adoption agencies violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, but it is wrong. Although the First Amendment prohibits any “establishment of religion,” its framers never thought that providing funding to religious organizations on the same basis as to secular organizations would count as an unconstitutional establishment of religion. Indeed, the Supreme Court held in Trinity Lutheran that the government may fund religious organizations on equal footing with secular ones without running afoul of the establishment clause.

What this case is really about is the free exercise of religion under our laws. That is why faith-based agencies like Miracle Hill need President Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services to implement regulations that support one of our most cherished founding principles: religious freedom. (Read more from “Why It’s Not Discrimination for Christian Agencies to Only Recruit Christian Foster and Adoptive Parents” HERE)

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The Female Gender Symbol Is Now Offensive

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A Massachusetts all-women’s college found out the hard way that any attempt to include anything relating to gender or sex will be met with scorn in today’s society. . .

This angered students and alumni who don’t identify as women, and the school was forced to apologize and withdraw the logo design:

This past Thursday, we had the occasion to solicit feedback on the design firm’s identity work from a group of students. We listened to feedback regarding the use of the Venus symbol as an option for the brand identity and logo, as proposed by the consultants. It is now evident to us that this symbol has a long history of exclusion connected to movements that, while trailblazing for some groups, represents the erasure of others.

We have thus determined that the College cannot move forward with a word mark that references this symbol as we rethink how we will distinguish Mount Holyoke College. While it is always disappointing to realize that our creative work has not achieved its goals, it is deeply upsetting to realize that the work is seen as offensive and damaging.

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A year later, trans activists succeeded in shutting down a performance of the “Vagina Monologues” because it was not trans-inclusive. Eve Ensler, the creator of the Monologues, penned a response saying she was “surprised” by MHC’s response to her work, and insisted it was not exclusive and noted that an all-trans rendition was performed in 2004. (Read more from “The Female Gender Symbol Is Now Offensive” HERE)

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6-Month-Old Baby Girl Found Alive, Floating in Pond After Father Says He Drowned Her

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By The Blaze. A 6-month-old was miraculously discovered alive, floating face up in a Missouri pond on Monday, after her father walked into the Greenwood Police Department and confessed — so he thought — to drowning his baby girl.

Police rushed to rescue the infant, retrieved her from the water and were able to revive her after performing CPR. She had been in the water for an estimated 10 minutes or more and was found with mud in her eyes, and grass in her mouth.

Jonathon Zicarelli, 28, made his way to the department around 10 a.m., telling police that he had just drowned his daughter and that he saw her sink after placing her in the water, according to KSHB-TV.

Cpl. T. Calhoun and Police Chief Greg Hallgrimson leapt into action, sped to the location of the pond, and found the child floating on her back in the water. Hallgrimson said the infant wasn’t moving when they found her and that she looked like a porcelain doll.

Calhoun quickly performed CPR on the baby girl after pulling her from the water, and she began to breath normally. The officers removed her wet clothing and Calhoun wrapped her in his own uniform shirt in an attempt to warm the child, who was taken to a local hospital where she is recovering from severe hypothermia. (Read more from “6-Month-Old Baby Girl Found Alive, Floating in Pond After Father Says He Drowned Her” HERE)

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6-Month-Old Baby Recovering After Father Admitted to Trying to Drown It

By KSHB. . .Zicarelli told detectives he was having “bad thoughts” and said he was stressed out by the holidays and thought killing his daughter would make it easier on his wife.

Investigators said Zicarelli confessed he had been planning to kill his baby for over 24 hours. He said he parked his car and walked down to the pond three separate times, trying to determine if he could kill her. He said he put her in the water and watched her sink, then got in his car and left.

Prosecutors have requested a $500,000 cash bond. (Read more from “6-Month-Old Baby Recovering After Father Admitted to Trying to Drown It” HERE)

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Girl’s Inoperable Brain Tumor Disappears, Doctors Can’t Explain It

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By USA Today. A girl’s inoperable brain tumor is gone and doctors have no explanation.

Today, Roxli Doss is doing what she loves, and that’s horseback riding. . .

It’s hard to imagine that in June doctors diagnosed Roxli with an inoperable cancerous brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG.

“It is very rare, but when we see it, it is a devastating disease,” said Dr. Virginia Harrod with Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas. “You have decreased ability to swallow, sometimes vision loss, decreased ability to talk, eventually difficulty with breathing.”

Harrod said the now 11-year-old went through weeks of radiation, even though there is no cure. The family held a benefit for her in August, and the community responded in a big way. At that point, all Gena and Scott Doss could do was pray for a miracle. (Read more from “Girl’s Inoperable Brain Tumor Disappears, Doctors Can’t Explain It” HERE)
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11-Year-Old Girl’s Brain Tumor Disappears in Medical Mystery

By CBS News. When 11-year-old Roxli Doss was diagnosed with what appeared to be a rare, inoperable brain tumor in June, she faced it with courage. Each year, some 300 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with this particular brain tumor, known as a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG. . .

Roxli was given months to live. As she went through weeks of radiation, her parents Scott and Gena Doss prayed for a miracle. . .

Typically, radiation is a life-extending treatment and not a cure. But just over two months after being diagnosed, the tumor appeared to have completely gone away. (Read more from “11-Year-Old Girl’s Brain Tumor Disappears in Medical Mystery” HERE)

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‘Disney’ Actor Arrested for Trying to Solicit Sex With a 13-Year-Old Boy

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Disney Channel actor Stoney Westmoreland was arrested after arranging to meet up with whom he believed to be a 13-year-old boy for a sexual encounter. Westmoreland, who plays the grandfather character named Henry Mack on Disney’s “Andi Mack,” was en route to meet the supposed child when he was apprehended by Salt Lake City police and the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force on Friday.

Disney announced Friday that they had terminated Westmoreland’s role on the show due to the nature of the arrest. “Andi Mack” is filmed in Salt Lake City.

“​Stoney Westmoreland, an actor working on the series ‘Andi Mack,’ was arrested in Salt Lake City today,” said a Disney Channel spokesperson, according to Page Six. “Given the nature of the charges and our responsibility for the welfare of employed minors, we have released him from his recurring role and he will not be returning to work on the series which wraps production on its third season next week.” . . .

The actor was corresponding with the supposed child, whom he met through an online dating app, in a sexual capacity before the arrest. “According to reports citing court documents, Westmoreland asked the minor to engage in oral sex and other sexual acts, and requested that the minor send him nude photos,” reports Page Six. According to ABC News 4, Westmoreland sent the minor pornographic photos of himself. . .

As noted by ABC News 4, the characters on the “Andi Mack” show are the same age as Westmoreland’s alleged victim: 13. “The comedy, created by Terri Minsky, follows 13-year-old Andi Mack and her best friends, Cyrus Goodman and Buffy Driscoll, as they attend middle school.” (Read more from “‘Disney’ Actor Arrested for Trying to Solicit Sex With a 13-Year-Old Boy” HERE)

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School District to Teach 8-Year-Olds That Any Gender Can Have Periods

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Editor’s note: Although this happened ‘across the pond,’ the same sort of idiocy has taken place here at home as you can see in this story HERE.

By The Daily Caller. A British school district approved new sex education lessons that include teaching students as young as 8 years old that people “of all genders” can have periods.

Brighton & Hove City Council reportedly approved the advice to teachers following a council report that said, “Trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods,” and that “menstruation must be inclusive of all genders,” according to Daily Mail.

The attempt to address the stigma surrounding menstruation in the sex education classes is considered a victory for those campaigning for transgender rights. . .

“Language and learning about periods is inclusive of all genders, cultures, faiths and sexual orientations,” the report said. “For example: ‘girls and women and others who have periods.’” . . .

“Girls going through puberty are already having a difficult time,” said Transgender Trend’s Stephanie Davies-Arai, according to Daily Mail. “What they should be given is clear language to be able to talk about their bodies and their female biological functions without couching it in politically correct terms.” (Read more from “School District to Teach 8-Year-Olds That Any Gender Can Have Periods” HERE)

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Eight-Year-Old Pupils to Be Told ‘Boys Can Have Periods Too’ under New Sex Education Lessons Guidelines

By Daily Mail. Sex education lessons in which pupils as young as eight will be told ‘all genders’ have periods were yesterday condemned as unnecessarily confusing for young children.

The classes follow guidelines that were issued to teachers to help them avoid offending girls who identify as boys.

But critics described the guidelines as inappropriate and another example of political correctness gone mad.

The teacher guidance, from Brighton & Hove City Council, states: ‘Trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods.’ It says language about menstruation must be inclusive of ‘all genders’ and orders that ‘bins for used period products are provided in all toilets’ for children.

But Tory MP David Davies described it as ‘insanity’ for teachers to be explaining the concept of transgender boys having periods to eight-year-olds. (Read more from “Eight-Year-Old Pupils to Be Told ‘Boys Can Have Periods Too’ under New Sex Education Lessons Guidelines” HERE)

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11-Year-Old Boy Dressed in Drag Dances at Gay Bar, Gets Dollar Bills Thrown at Him

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On December 1, an 11-year-old boy dressed in drag danced on stage in a sexual manner at a gay bar in Brooklyn, NY, called 3 Dollar Bill. The child, Desmond Napoles, was dressed as a Gwen Stefani-lookalike — full drag make up, a blonde wig, and crop top included — as he bounced around onstage to No Doubt’s “Like a Girl” and collected dollar bills from male adults viewing the number. . .

“Only in New York… a nightclub that makes you go WHOA!!!,” reads the promotion. “FEATURING: Upcoming Legend from Television and the Runway: DESMOND IS AMAZING!!! PERFORMING LIVE! … This stage, this dance floor, this house… is ours as long as we protect it.”

The promotional ad notes that 3 Dollar Bill bar is “queer owned & operated and we foster a safe space from love. We respect all human persons as long as those human persons are also respectful to the ones around them.”

“I left after seeing a child dance on stage for money at nighttime. This was on Saturday night and I have been feeling disturbed ever since,” wrote a one-star reviewer of 3 Dollar Bill on December 3 via Yelp. . .

“The club has a weird no cell phone policy, but we we [sic] wanted to have a good night, so we went along with it. The club put our phones in these locked sleeves, which we could tire around the club. Upon entry, they stamped our hands and write our phone check/cost check numbers in our wrists in permanent marker,” said one reviewer. (Read more from “11-Year-Old Boy Dressed in Drag Dances at Gay Bar, Gets Dollar Bills Thrown at Him” HERE)

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Middle Schooler Arrested for Having Too Many Absences

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A junior high student in Oklahoma was put in handcuffs and taken to an intervention center… because the school believed he had missed too many days of class.

The student’s mother is outraged, but the Muskogee Public School system says it’s all perfectly legal. . .

Stephanie – who doesn’t want to use her last name – says she’s upset her son, a student at Alice Robertson Junior High, was treated like a criminal. . .

And taken to the community intervention center – or CIC – located behind the Muskogee County Jail Wednesday for missing too many days of school.

Muskogee Public Schools says they can’t comment on specific cases, but Braun says on the fifth absence, a citation is issued and parents must sign, which he says they typically do. (Read more from “Middle Schooler Arrested for Having Too Many Absences” HERE)

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