New SD Law Protects Religious Freedom of Private Child-Placement Agencies

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South Dakota governor Dennis Daugaard on Friday signed into law a bill that protects the religious freedom of private child-placement agencies that won’t place children with unmarried or same-sex couples in violation of their beliefs.

Daugaard said that he believed the bill would protect private adoption agencies from lawsuits against policies based on their religious beliefs, reported the Argus Leader.

“I’m worried that a child placement agency may make what is in the best interest of the child a correct decision but be subject to a lawsuit by someone who has a little bit of a leg up by virtue of being in a protective class,” said the governor. “And if we can forestall that with this legislation then I’m willing to do that.”

Bill 149 provides that:

No child-placement agency may be required to provide any service that conflicts with, or provide any service under circumstances that conflict with any sincerely-held religious belief or moral conviction of the child-placement agency that shall be contained in a written policy, statement of faith, or other document adhered to by a child-placement agency.

It forbids the state government from acting against a child placement agency that declines to provide a service that conflicts with its religious or moral convictions. The state also can’t enter into a contract with an agency that conflicts with its convictions.

Without Fear of Being Sued

The Human Rights Campaign, a pro-LGBTQ activist group, claims that “These children could now wait longer to be placed in a safe, loving home at the whim of an [sic] state-funded adoption or foster care agency with a vendetta against LGBTQ couples, mixed-faith couples or interracial couples — all while being taxpayer-funded.” It called Bill 149 the “right to discriminate bill.”

However, SB No. 149, Sec. 15 specifically states that another child-placement agency can provide the services those covered by the bill decline to provide and “shall not be a factor in determining whether a placement in connection with the service is in the best interest of the child.”

Daugaard wants to place as many children as possible and hopes the new law will allow religious and faith-based child-placement agencies to operate without fear of being sued. “Whether it’s the state acting directly or through an agency, we need to do everything we can to encourage those agencies to stay in this business and help us find those placements.” (For more from the author of “New SD Law Protects Religious Freedom of Private Child-Placement Agencies” please click HERE)

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UK Grants 1st License to Make Babies Using DNA From 3 People

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Britain’s Newcastle University says its scientists have received a license to create babies using DNA from three people to prevent women from passing on potentially fatal genetic diseases to their children — the first time such approval has been granted.

The license was granted Thursday by the country’s fertility regulator, according to the university.

In December, British officials approved the “cautious use” of the techniques, which aim to fix problems linked to mitochondria, the energy-producing structures outside a cell’s nucleus. Faulty mitochondria can result in conditions including muscular dystrophy and major organ failure. (Read more from “UK Grants 1st License to Make Babies Using DNA From 3 People” HERE)

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‘No Right to Abortion’: Alabama Legislature Looks to Amend State Constitution

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There’s no sign of U.S. abortion law changing soon, but Alabama wants to be ready if it ever does.

A proposal in the Republican-controlled Legislature would declare Alabama a “right to life” state by amending the state constitution. The House of Representatives will vote on the bill Thursday, and if it passes the Legislature and is signed by the Republican governor, the constitutional amendment would go before voters in 2018.

There is optimism among conservatives that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 law establishing a women’s right to an abortion, could be overturned now that President Donald Trump is in power. (Read more from “‘No Right to Abortion’: Alabama Legislature Looks to Amend State Constitution” HERE)

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Gay Man Speaks Out: Gay Scene in Beauty and the Beast Too Mature for Kids

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A conservative gay man has taken issue with Disney’s “gay scene” in the newest Beauty and the Beast film, saying that interjecting mature themes in children’s movies robs them of their innocence.

The movie includes one character, Le Fou, dancing with another male character. The director, Bill Condon, calls the brief scene “a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.” Condon is gay.

Joseph R. Murray II, LGBTrump administrator and former Pat Buchanan campaign official, writes in the Orlando Sentinel that pushing the gay lifestyle on kids makes them grow up much too soon. Describing himself as “a proud member of the LGBT community,” he writes: “Why do we have to expose our kids to such mature themes?” Murray asked. “Do they not have plenty of time to grow up? Or maybe the point is to make them grow up too soon and that is where I part ways with my community.”

Disney a Conduit to Social Change

While Walt Disney wanted to entertain children, this generation of Disney leaders has veered sharply off course, Murray said. “No longer did it see itself as a defender of children’s innocence. Instead, it saw itself as a conduit to social change. Walt Disney became Harvey Milk.” Milk, a San Francisco supervisor, was one of the first openly gay politicians in America and known for his advocacy of gay causes.

Others are excited by the scene. Editor-in-Chief of English gay magazine Attitude Matt Cain hopes that the social change message will impact adults and children, calling the implications of the scene in the movie a “watershed moment” for Disney. “By representing same-sex attraction in this short but explicitly gay scene, the studio is sending out a message that this is normal and natural — and this is a message that will be heard in every country of the world, even countries where it’s still socially unacceptable or even illegal to be gay.”

For those who believe gays need approval for their homosexual lifestyle, Murray has an answer for them, too. “As for the argument LGBT kids need reaffirmation, I was gay and grew up without gay Disney and made it just fine. I bet the fact I was able to keep my childhood innocence played a part.” (For more from the author of “Gay Man Speaks Out: Gay Scene in Beauty and the Beast Too Mature for Kids” please click HERE)

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Feminists Stage Bloody Fake Abortion on Woman Dressed as Virgin Mary

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Feminists in pink masks pretended to commit an abortion on a woman dressed as the Virgin Mary outside a northern Argentina cathedral as part of an International Women’s Day protest last week.

A photo of the protest shows what looks like blood and body parts gushing from between the Virgin Mary’s legs, facilitated by the pink mask-wearing feminists. The woman dressed as the Virgin Mary holds a fist in the air. She appears to be smiling and wearing a rosary around her neck . . .

The photo of the “performance art” was circulated on social media. Clarin and a Spanish EWTN affiliate reported that Tucuman Archbishop Alfredo Zecca condemned it . . .

“It is with great sadness that we read about this highly offensive protest in Argentina,” Maureen Ferguson of The Catholic Association told LifeSiteNews. “It is gravely disrespectful to mock the faith of billions of people in the woman whom National Geographic recently described as ‘The Most Powerful Woman in the World’ in its cover story on the Virgin Mary. It is also highly ironic for a feminist march protesting femicide to advocate for the right to take human lives, including the lives of female babies. Annually about 25 million little girls are aborted worldwide.” (Read more from “Feminists Stage Bloody Fake Abortion on Woman Dressed as Virgin Mary” HERE)

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Study: 4-In-5 Oklahoma City Students Can’t Read Clocks

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They may miss that hour of sleep, but as we turn our clocks ahead, chances are kids won’t be changing their watches.

That’s because the vast majority don’t have a watch.

A new study shows that only 1-in-10 Oklahoma City kids ages 6-12 own a watch. And only 1-in-5 know how to read it.

“Yeah, I was super surprised,” said Caitlin Carnes, who works for the Boys & Girls Club at Santa Fe South Elementary. “When I was growing up that was something that we learned. I don’t know if that makes me old or not.”

Instead Friday, Carnes worked to teach kids in the after-school program how to read analog clocks, something even the kids will admit they struggle with. (Read more from “Study: 4-In-5 Oklahoma City Students Can’t Read Clocks” HERE)

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Admiral, Seven Others Charged With Corruption in New ‘Fat Leonard’ Indictment

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The Justice Department unsealed a fresh indictment Tuesday charging eight Navy officials — including an admiral — with corruption and other crimes in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, escalating an epic scandal that has dogged the Navy for four years.

Among those charged were Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, a senior Navy intelligence officer who recently retired from a key job at the Pentagon, as well as four retired Navy captains and a retired Marine colonel. The charges cover a period of eight years, from 2006 through 2014.

The Navy personnel are accused of taking bribes in the form of lavish gifts, prostitutes and luxury hotel stays courtesy of Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis, a Singapore-based defense contractor who has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Navy of tens of millions of dollars.

The indictment lists page after page of bribes allegedly provided to the defendants including $25,000 watches, $2,000 boxes of Cohiba cigars, $2,000 bottles of cognac and $600-per-night hotel rooms. (Read more from “Admiral, Seven Others Charged With Corruption in New ‘Fat Leonard’ Indictment” HERE)

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Personhood Rights for Needy Chimps but Not Baby Humans

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Isn’t it ironic that the very people who would oppose the pro-life, Personhood Bill, which provides “that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization,” are the same ones who would advocate for the “personhood” rights of animals?

I was reminded of this today while reading a column in the Daily Mail that announced that animal rights lawyer Steve Wise “will argue chimpanzees should have personhood rights in front of Manhattan appellate division of New York’s Supreme Court.”

According to Wise, “A ‘person’ is the law’s way of saying that entity has the capacity for rights. A ‘thing,’ which chimpanzees are now, don’t have capacity for any kind of rights. To treat them as things destroys them.”

Now, I don’t know anything about Wise or the advocacy group he founded (it’s called the Nonhuman Rights Project), but if my past experience is correct here, Wise would not likely be a supporter of the Republican-sponsored Personhood Bill, since, as a general rule, the more staunchly someone supports animal rights, the more likely they are to be pro-abortion.

Compassion for Furry Creatures

How can this be? And how is it that people who are so moved to compassion when it comes to our furry friends can be so hard-hearted when it comes to their tiny, precious, still-in-the-womb, fellow-humans? And why is this often the case with radical environmentalists as well? Why are tree-huggers so often baby-aborters? (In the words of Kirk Walden’s October 14, 2016, op-ed piece on LifeSite News, “Radical Environmentalists: Save the Earth, Abort Babies.”)

Writing for the Chronicle of Higher Education on March 13, 2016, Sherry F. Colb and Michael C. Dorf, both law professors asked, “How can someone who condemns animal farming, hunting, and experimentation favor a right to abortion?”

Conversely, they wondered how pro-lifers could “eat and use the flesh, skin, and secretions of feeling creatures like cows, pigs, and chickens whose lives were filled with unspeakable suffering, ended only by horrific deaths?”

For Colb and Dorf, abortion is justified while meat-eating is not, because the baby in the womb is not sentient whereas animals are sentient, and anything that causes unnecessary pain for an animal is not justifiable. (Their article was released in conjunction with their book, Beating Hearts: Abortion and Animal Rights.)

Ligia De Jesus Castaldi responded to Colb and Dorf on November 29, 2016, noting that their book, “ends by applauding the extravagant proposal that domestic animals should be granted citizenship rights (with some limitations) and other animals be granted an alternative legal status, including territorial sovereignty for wild animals.”

And she notes that,

Ultimately, the authors do not make any new arguments for abortion rights, and they fail to make a logical or persuasive case for the compatibility of animal rights and abortion rights advocacy. What the book mostly does is expose the inherent contradictions of the pro-choice animal rights position. Sadly, the book also illustrates the extent to which abortion rights dogma can obscure human reason and harden the human heart to the point that the same person who feels empathy and sensitivity for animal suffering can utterly lack compassion for the lethal violence and excruciating pain that unborn children experience when their lives are ended in the womb.

Rejection of a Creator God

And what is the root cause of this confusion? It is, in short, the rejection of a Creator God, because of which human beings are not recognized as being created in His image — and therefore of intrinsic value, no matter how small or weak or handicapped or aged — and animals and the earth are not recognized as having been created by God for human beings.

Of course, one can worship the Creator and be pro-life as well as oppose animal cruelty and be an ardent environmentalist, since there is no contradiction between those positions. In fact, it makes sense that these positions would go hand in hand, since the principles of kindness, compassion, and good stewardship are some of the essential characteristics that define our God-given humanity. (By opposing animal cruelty and being an ardent environmentalist, however, I don’t mean embracing the extreme positions of those respective groups.)

But when God is left out of the picture, “compassion” can take the form of euthanizing a depressed adult or of terminating an unwanted pregnancy just as easily as it can take the form of opposing the consumption of meat or fighting against chopping down a tree. And since human beings are just another evolved species, just as a badly injured horse is put down, a handicapped fetus can be put down. Why not?

I asked on Twitter, “Can someone tell me why the most radical animal rights activists are often militantly pro-abortion?”

One of my Twitter followers named Royce responded, “I think that was probably a rhetorical question but the answer is clearly worshipping the Creature rather than the Creator.”

Precisely so.

A few decades ago, some representatives for the radical-left Greenpeace organization came through the neighborhood of one of my good Christian friends, asking him if he would like to donate money to have save the baby whales.

He replied that he was much more interested in saving the baby humans, and the Greenpeace rep turned away instantly and left in a huff.

Is anyone surprised? (For more from the author of “Personhood Rights for Needy Chimps but Not Baby Humans” please click HERE)

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This Week’s Best ‘Feminist’ Moments — and How They Put Women to Shame

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This week was one for the history books! From International Women’s Day being overshadowed by the A Day Without a Woman strike, to a paper towel campaign sure to empower aspiring housewives, it’s hard to choose the moment from this week that best proved how far women’s rights have truly come. There are just too many! Let’s take a look.

Feminism for the Kitchen

On Tuesday, the day before International Women’s Day (sorry — #ADayWithoutAWoman), the paper-towel company Brawny debuted its limited-time ad campaign “celebrating strong women who inspire us all.” How? By putting a woman on its paper towel packaging!

This move is truly brilliant. After all, I know that I personally, as a woman, constantly felt belittled walking past Brawny’s paper towel packaging in Wal-mart with that plaid-wearing man staring me down and telling me that I’m weak. Kind of like how I feel when my husband washes the dishes. As if I’m not strong enough to do those dishes myself!

Brawny’s “strength has no gender” campaign gives me hope that one day, my husband will also get a “feminist makeover” and acknowledge that “women can be ‘brawny’ too.” Maybe then he’ll stop viewing me as some weakling and will let me clean the kitchen by myself for once.

Feminist Fashionista Victim

Friday morning National Review did us all a favor by showing us this stunning and, frankly, sobering photo of one of the “victims” of America’s backward, sexist, oppressive culture. Just look at the tweet below.

This woman, marching in New York while presumably striking from a job for which she is underpaid, is obviously dedicated to the feminist cause since she is wearing red (beautiful shade, might I add). The fact that her eyebrows, peaking defiantly above those daring sunglasses, appear to have been recently groomed to perfection proves how above and beyond she is willing to go for a feminist photo-op.

But I think the icing on the cake — the thing that really shows her dedication — is that Michael Kors jacket she’s flaunting. (While there is no way of knowing exactly how much was paid for this piece of rally garb, a quick Google search reveals that other jackets in the popular designer line run between $200-$1,000.) Inspiring!

It’s easy to see that life is hard for this victim of oppression. It was brave of her to show up Wednesday.

TIME Celebrates Female Accomplishment

On Thursday, TIME Magazine, the same publication that featured Hillary Clinton’s “The Future is Female” speech and recently reminded us that “women are shouting at the tops of their lungs” for equality, tweeted that Amal Clooney “shows off her baby bump at the United Nations.”

Incidentally, Clooney was at the U.N. as a lawyer representing a victim of ISIS crime, admonishing world leaders “to stand up for justice.” Nice, I guess, but not as important as her baby bump!

I’m just glad, especially since it’s National Women’s History month, that TIME is dedicated to reminding us women that our career accomplishments matter. As famed feminist Gloria Steinem told Newsweek, “All over the world we are struggling as females to be valued for our brains as well as our wombs.”

All Kidding Aside — There is a War on Women

It’s amusing to laugh at these feminist faux pas, but I think they underscore just how ridiculous and even counterproductive the modern American feminism movement has become, considering that a very real and violent war rages against millions of women all over the world.

I have no shame in calling myself a feminist, since I wholeheartedly endorse and refuse to ignore its true definition. I understand, however, that many women today don’t want to identify themselves as a “feminist,” given that the liberal political agenda is not only hijacking the term, but putting women everywhere to shame.

Claiming that not having access to abortion is “violence” while women like Yue Zhang are held down on an operation table and their children aborted against their will puts us to shame. Demanding free birth control while women and girls are mutilated and forever prevented from experiencing sexual pleasure puts us to shame. Walking out of your job while other women wish they were legally permitted to drive a car puts us to shame.

Is there sexism in America today? Of course (unfortunately, there always will be). But unlike so many females around the world, we already have all the empowerment we need to fight back, work hard, and prove the sexists, misogynists and chauvinists wrong.

Maybe we can start by looking into organizations dedicated to helping our sisters around the world, or by helping our under-privileged American sisters reach the opportunities available to them. No man — not even the president of the United States — is preventing us from doing so. (For more from the author of “This Week’s Best ‘Feminist’ Moments — and How They Put Women to Shame” please click HERE)

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My Local School Board May Begin Silencing Parents Over Transgender Agenda

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In Fairfax, 10 parents have just three minutes each to give their views to the county school board each meeting.

Earning one of these coveted slots is like buying concert tickets: You get up early on the Monday before the meeting and click frantically, hoping to be among the first 10 when the school board opens its sign-up line.

Since the school board imposed its gender identity politics on unwilling Fairfax families nearly two years ago, it has heard from dozens of angry parents. More come forward every month.

For school board members on the receiving end of the discourse, this must be getting old. But that’s the price of freedom, right?

Maybe not. Parents have learned that bureaucrats on the Fairfax County School Board have had just about enough of this free speech, and are meeting to discuss how best to curtail it.

This week, board member Ryan McElveen, chief proponent of the transgender policy, is calling a meeting to discuss the public speaker process. Nothing good can come from that.

Last month, a citizen speaking before the Fairfax County School Board made the charge that nonresidents frequently appear at school board meetings—meaning people who do not reside in Fairfax County. He was referring to some who voiced criticism of school board action.

I’m a Fairfax County resident, and to my knowledge, all the speakers who have spoken out against the gender identity policies of the board have been Fairfax County residents. But if they want to require ID, I’m all for it.

But I wonder, do they also favor IDs for voting in Fairfax? Do you have to show proof of legal residency to receive school services? Those are good questions for the board, if I ever get the chance to ask them.

The gentleman who made the complaint claimed that Loudoun County residents were testifying in Fairfax County.

Perhaps he thought I was from Loudoun, since I testified before the Loudoun school board back in December. But I was speaking as a Fairfax County resident and as a sexual assault victim, to warn them that allowing men and boys into women’s and girls’ locker rooms, showers, and bathrooms is not only disrespectful, but dangerous.

Thankfully, Loudoun did not go the way of Fairfax.

I actually had to withdraw my daughter from her Fairfax County public elementary school over concerns for her personal safety and privacy. Her former school is currently allowing a biological boy to use the girls’ facilities, without any parental notification.

When Fairfax County School Board Chairman Sandy Evans says the transgender guidelines are “on hold,” she gives a false impression. The policy is being implemented right now, behind parents’ backs.

And now, a new speech policy against parents is being considered. This would affect parents who are not only constituents, but also the taxpayers who pay the school board’s salaries.

As a taxpayer, I am entitled to voice my concerns. I am a strong believer in giving both positive and negative feedback.

I called Fairfax County Interim Superintendent Steve Lockhard’s office this week to thank him for keeping schools open Wednesday—unlike our neighbor city, Alexandria, which closed schools for the leftist women’s protest, putting politics above children.

The Fairfax County School Board does not seem interested in listening to constituents who do not share their political views. When a single citizen makes the unfounded claim that non-Fairfax parents are speaking, McElveen shows deference and schedules a meeting to address it.

Yet when hundreds of parents and citizens with diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds have gathered in one room to voice their concerns about adding “gender identity” to the so-called nondiscrimination policy, no meeting is ever called.

The school board hasn’t even shown us the courtesy and respect to acknowledge that we’ve been heard. All we’ve heard is their silence—and now they want to silence us?

The school board needs to develop some respect for parental input. Rather than shutting down citizens who would defend the privacy of their children, the Fairfax County School Board should make good on its commitment to openness, respect, and the democratic process. (For more from the author of “My Local School Board May Begin Silencing Parents Over Transgender Agenda” please click HERE)

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