Doctor’s Offer to Euthanize Young Woman Leaves Her Mother ‘Dumbfounded’

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A Newfoundland mother wants an apology from the hospital where, she says, a doctor suggested her daughter should be euthanized.

Sheila Elson says she’s particularly upset because her 25-year-old daughter, Candice Lewis, overheard the conversation and has been traumatized, reports the Northern Pen.

Lewis has suffered since birth from a number of medical conditions, including spina bifida, cerebral palsy and chronic seizure disorder . . .

Elson alleged that Dr. Aaron Heroux told her at that time assisted suicide was legal and her daughter qualified.

“This left me dumbfounded and I told him it was something I did not want to consider,” Elson told the Northern Pen. (Read more from “Doctor’s Offer to Euthanize Young Woman Leaves Her Mother ‘Dumbfounded'” HERE)

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Ban on Mentioning Jesus, Christmas Cards on Campus

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Talking about Jesus, exchanging Christmas cards and encouraging Christianity have been targeted under an unofficial policy from education bureaucrats that takes aim at junior evangelists in Queensland primary school yards.

Queensland education officials have moved to ban refer­ences to Jesus in the primary school yard, with an unofficial policy that takes aim at junior evangelists.

Christian groups and free-speech advocates have expressed alarm at the recent edict from the Queensland Department of Education and Training contained within its latest review into religious instruction materials and warning that principals were expected to take action against students caught evangelising to their peers. (Read more from “Ban on Mentioning Jesus, Christmas Cards on Campus” HERE)

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New Report Shows Increase in ‘Religious Freedom Violations’ in Recent Years

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Hostility toward religion is on the rise in the United States, according to a new report.

The report, which was recently released by the Family Research Council, shows an increase in the number of incidents involving “religious freedom violations” since the first report was released in July 2014. The original report spanned over a decade and contained 90 incidents. In the last three years, 69 new incidents have been added.

“The recent spike in government driven religious hostility is sadly not surprising, especially considering the Obama administration’s antagonism toward biblical Christianity,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, in a statement. “The report underscores the legitimacy of the actions taken by the Trump administration to end the policies and practices in federal agencies that fan the flames of this religious intolerance.”

Perkins added the report’s findings also show “ the growing courage of Christians, especially young Christians, to defend both their faith and their freedoms.”

The report found that antagonism toward religious beliefs on sexuality was fueling much of the increase:

Hostility to religious beliefs on natural marriage and human sexuality … [included] 42 incidents in the report’s first edition. In the time since then, 48 new incidents have been added to these sections. Thus, the number of these religious freedom violations more than doubled …

In the introduction to the report, the Family Research Council writes that the attacks on religious teaching on marriage and sexuality “is the product of more insidious forces which ultimately will erode civil liberties for all Americans, even if they hold a different viewpoint than our own.”

Included in the religious liberty violations listed in the report was one about a survey distributed by a major financial firm.

In 2014, JPMorgan Chase, a vocal advocate of LGBT rights, sent out a survey to its employees asking a number of questions. The survey asked if the employee was “disabled, had family members that were disabled, if they were LGBT, or if they were allies of the LGBT movement.” Employees that answered negatively the final question could be interpreted as being at odds with the beliefs of the firm.

In February 2016, Edie and David Delorme received death threats after declining to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. The Delormes, who are devout Baptists, have previously refused to create cakes that go against their religious convictions, including those “that support alcohol, tobacco, gambling, or convey sexually inappropriate images,” according to the report.

Rather than accepting a list of nearby bakeries that would create the same-sex wedding cake instead, the couple complained to the media, bringing on harsh attacks against the Delormes.

“The bakery received threats of violence on social media and Yelp,” the Family Research Council wrote. “Though the bakery was never threatened with a lawsuit, they remain a target of criticism by LGBT activists.”

Another area of extreme hostility concerns Catholic churches, schools, and hospitals who have been operating in accordance with the Catholic Church’s teaching.

One example occurred in September 2016 when Kate Drumgoole, a guidance counselor and coach at a Catholic high school in New Jersey, was fired when the administration learned that she was in a same-sex relationship.

Drumgoole, citing discrimination, sued the archdiocese and Paramus Catholic High School despite having previously signed the archdiocese’s “Policies on Professional and Ministerial Conduct.” By signing it, teachers acknowledge the requirement that they “act in accordance with the ‘discipline, norms and teachings of the Catholic Church.’”

“Religious liberty is the exercise of our inherent, natural rights. It is not limited to freedom to worship, rather, it means that we are free to live consistently with our beliefs in the public square,” says Melanie Israel, a research associate in the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation.

“Individuals and organizations should be able to maintain their ability to abide by their religious convictions when they carry out their work, including serving the poor, educating the next generation, or running a business.” (For more from the author of “New Report Shows Increase in ‘Religious Freedom Violations’ in Recent Years” please click HERE)

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Female Senator Rips ‘Fat’ Male Colleague

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Following a Senate Committee of Appropriations Meeting Tuesday, Senator Susan Collins was caught talking with Senator Jack Reed about Rep. Blake Farenthold, calling him “so unattractive.”

Senator Collins delivered a statement in the hearing before sitting down next Reed, where they start talking to each other about budget and healthcare. The conversation turns towards Farenthold when Collins says, “Did you see the one that challenged me to a duel?”

The senator responded, “Trust me, do you know why he challenged you to a duel? Because you could beat the sh*t out of him.”

The audio gets fuzzy here, but Collins is heard saying “fat guy,” “he’s huge,” and “he is so unattractive it’s unbelievable.” (Read more from “Female Senator Rips ‘Fat’ Male Colleague” HERE)

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Minnesota Is Pushing Gender Identity Debate on Kindergartners

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It would seem to be common sense that schoolchildren fresh off of learning the alphabet should not have to learn the alphabet soup of growing gender pronouns sprung from the laboratories of college campuses.

But that is exactly what is happening in Minnesota.

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Education advisory council voted to implement an LGBT “toolkit” for public and charter schools in the state.

Nor are these guidelines just intended for older students. Instead, they were created for children as young as those entering kindergarten.

The toolkit says the language surrounding gender identity issues is “evolving” and that “any student, including transgender and gender nonconforming students, may be heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual.”

“Gender identity does not correlate with sexual orientation,” the report says.

Therefore, the toolkit offers a litany of suggestions for how teachers should address LGBT issues and be more “inclusive.”

One recommendation is to allow children to use the bathroom of their preferred gender identity.

And it doesn’t stop there. According to The Washington Free Beacon, the guidelines state that, in addition to using the child’s pronoun of choice, “teachers must call students by whatever name they choose to ensure that bullying does not occur.”

The students don’t even have to provide legal documentation or verification that their names have changed.

But what happens to a teacher who doesn’t use the correct name and pronoun to identify a student?

The guidelines say that the offending teacher could be found in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

This is just a small part of the long list of recommendations.

They also suggest not using the term “boys and girls” in reference to the children, and instead using the gender-neutral “students” or “scholars.”

Homecoming and prom can also become problematic under the toolkit’s rubric, as gendered terms like “homecoming king” could be deemed offensive. The guidelines suggest using more neutral terms and phrases like “prom ambassadors” instead.

The report also urges students to adhere to these standards and for teachers to correct those who don’t use the advised language.

The toolkit is backed by a number of LGBT rights organizations, according to the Free Beacon, including “the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, the National Education Association, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.”

But not everyone is happy about the ruling.

State Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, said that no one from his district supports the toolkit, according to the Star Tribune, a Minneapolis newspaper.

“I do not see sensitivities to a 13-year-old Christian girl or a kindergarten boy who cannot possibly have a sexual orientation,” Miller said.

Though battlegrounds over gender identity have been all the rage on college campuses for quite some time, and have now hit the political mainstream, it is still shocking to apply them to children who are just beginning to understand the world around them.

Yet parents who don’t wish their children to be exposed to the standards have little choice in the matter. This is perhaps a perfect example of why school choice is such a pressing issue so that families have greater freedom to opt in or opt out of policies and belief systems that are right for them. (For more from the author of “Minnesota Is Pushing Gender Identity Debate on Kindergartners” please click HERE)

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Christie Signs Bill Requiring NJ Schools Use Preferred Pronouns for Transgender Kids

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Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill requiring New Jersey schools use the preferred pronouns of transgender students, according to a Saturday report.

The legislation (S3067/A4652) compels New Jersey to mandate that state schools call transgender students by their preferred pronouns and prohibits them from making transgender students use bathrooms opposing their gender identity, according to NJ.com.

“This is a huge victory for equality in New Jersey, and we want to send a big thank you to Gov. Christie for standing on the right side of history on this one,” Garden State Equality, a civil rights organization, said Friday in a statement.

Transgender students will be “addressed at school by the name and pronoun preferred by the student that corresponds to the student’s gender identity, regardless of whether a legal name change or change in official school records has occurred,” says the law.

Furthermore, New Jersey schools cannot force “a transgender student to use a restroom or locker room that conflicts with the student’s gender identity, and [must provide] reasonable alternative arrangements if needed to ensure a student’s safety and comfort.” (Read more from “Christie Signs Bill Requiring NJ Schools Use Preferred Pronouns for Transgender Kids” HERE)

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Parents Admit ‘Time Has Run out’ for Charlie Gard

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The parents of 11-month-old Charlie Gard have admitted defeat.

After the parents battled Britain’s medical and legal establishment for months to bring their infant son to the U.S. for potentially life-saving treatment, a lawyer for Chris Gard and Connie Yates told London’s High Court Monday that they would no longer seek to have the terminally ill infant brought to the U.S. because the treatment can no longer help him.

“It is no longer in Charlie’s best interests to pursue this course of treatment,” attorney Grant Armstrong told Judge Nicholas Francis.

“Poor Charlie. It is too late. The damage has been done. Sadly time has run out,” the lawyer said. “Sadly the window of opportunity no longer exists. The parents have taken an extremely hard decision.”

Charlie has a rare genetic condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage. He is being kept alive on life support.

Armstrong said that an American neurologist, Dr. Michio Hiranoh, who had come to Britain to examine the infant last week and held out the hope of an experimental therapy, withdrew that offer after seeing a new MRI.

“Charlie has suffered extensive muscular atrophy,” Armstrong said in court. “This is irreversible even with (nucleoside therapy). Chance of improvement can’t now be delivered.”

“The parents’ worst nightmare have been confirmed,” he added.

He said Charlie’s parents agreed that more efforts to save their son would cause him pain. The case was “worthy of a Greek tragedy,” Armstrong said.

“Dark days lie ahead for these parents,” he added. “The parents wish to treasure their remaining time with Charlie, however short that may be.”

Gard and Yates plan to establish a foundation so that Charlie’s voice “continues to be heard,” Armstrong said. (For more from the author of “Parents Admit ‘Time Has Run out’ for Charlie Gard” please click HERE)

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Eyewitnesses Take You Inside Abortion ‘House of Horrors’

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The police knew there was a problem in the Women’s Medical Society of Philadelphia, but they didn’t realize just what the problem was until they got there.

They thought they were raiding the largest supplier of illicit prescription painkillers in the City of Brotherly Love, but once inside, they found that Kermit Gosnell’s medical office was something much worse . . .

There was blood on the floor and the smell of urine in the air. The two surgery rooms were dirty and unsanitary, completely unbefitting a surgical facility. Semi-conscious women scheduled for abortions sat on filthy recliners covered with blood-stained blankets in the waiting room or recovery room.

And then there were the severed body parts of late-term aborted babies displayed in jars over a dirty sink.

And the remains of 47 aborted babies crammed into a freezer and packed into boxes in the basement, all with mysterious wounds across the backs of their necks. (Read more from “Eyewitnesses Take You Inside Abortion ‘House of Horrors'” HERE)

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DOJ Lawyers Still Battling Christians Over Obamacare Contraception Mandate

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Six months into President Trump’s administration, Department of Justice attorneys are still battling Christian organizations in court over Obamacare’s contraception mandate.

DOJ lawyers have continued to keep alive a slew of cases appealing a 2014 district court ruling that granted an injunction from the mandate to several Catholic organizations. The Supreme Court vacated an appeals court ruling against The Little Sisters of the Poor and similar organizations in 2016, sending the cases back to the lower courts. Many religious freedom advocates expected that the Trump administration, which has vowed to protect The Little Sisters and other organizations burdened by the contraceptive mandate, would drop the legal campaign against the religious organizations. But more than six months into the Trump era, the legal fights are still alive.

President Trump signed an executive order in early May, directing the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury to “consider issuing amended regulations, consistent with applicable law, to address conscience-based objections to the preventive-care mandate” in Obamacare. HHS Secretary Tom Price said the executive order would allow the HHS to “safeguard the deeply held religious beliefs of Americans who provide health insurance to their employees.”

Later that month, a draft Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule was leaked to the media. Religious liberty advocates praised the draft rule, which — if implemented — would carve out religious liberty protections for the Little Sisters and other organizations. Under the draft rule, the government would still make sure women’s birth control is covered by insurance — as required by Obamacare — but without compelling religious objectors to take part in the process. (Read more from “DOJ Lawyers Still Battling Christians Over Obamacare Contraception Mandate” HERE)

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Oregon Lawmakers Vote to Bail out Planned Parenthood

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The demand for abortion in Oregon is going down, so why do pro-abortion lawmakers there seem so determined to increase it?

From 2011 to 2014, Oregon saw a 15 percent decline in the number of abortions.

It also saw a 7 percent decline in the number of abortion providers.

But, apparently that isn’t a trend line pro-abortion politicians want to see continue.

When it comes to restrictions on abortion, Oregon already has very few.

It has no parental consent or even parental notification laws. There are no mandated counseling or waiting periods for women seeking abortions. There are no additional regulations on facilities performing abortions to increase safety or ambulance-ready requirements.

And, unlike 43 other states that restrict abortion after either 20 weeks or after an unborn child can live outside the womb, Oregon allows abortions up until the moment of birth.

As a matter of fact, the only “restriction” on abortion in Oregon is that it isn’t free—for everyone.

So state lawmakers recently passed legislation to ensure that it is.

Called the Reproductive Health Equity Act, the bill ensures that all Oregonians, regardless of their income, citizenship status, gender identity, or type of insurance, receive the full spectrum of reproductive health services at zero out-of-pocket cost.

Of course, “reproductive health services” is code language for abortion and “zero out-of-pocket cost” means Oregon taxpayers, regardless of their personal views, will be paying for more abortions.

Oregon already allocates $2 million of state Medicaid funds for abortions. This new bill would tack on another $10 million.

But this time they are taking it a step further by forcing all insurance plans, exempting only a handful of religious charities, to cover abortions, for any reason, free of cost, to anyone in the state.

So, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen, rich or poor … whether you are three months pregnant or just weeks away from giving birth … and for whatever reason, including the fact you wanted a boy instead of a girl, you can now get an abortion compliments of Oregon taxpayers.

It’s no coincidence that those lobbying for the bill just happen to be the very entities that will profit from it. Dropping abortion rates means dropping profits for groups like Planned Parenthood who helped draft the legislation.

And just like at the federal level, they want taxpayers to bail them out.

But there is a way to stop it.

If opponents can collect the signatures of 58,789 registered voters between now and October 5, they can force the bill to be put on the 2018 ballot—allowing the people of Oregon, not pro-abortion special interests, to have the final say. (For more from the author of “Oregon Lawmakers Vote to Bail out Planned Parenthood” please click HERE)

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