Family Council Joins Pro-Life Amicus Brief in Federal Court

Abortion, , ,

On Friday, Family Council joined more than 70 other individuals and organizations in an amicus brief filed with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the cases of United States v. Idaho and United States v. Moyle.

The amicus brief is part of the ongoing lawsuits over the Biden Administration’s effort to turn emergency rooms into abortion facilities under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).

EMTALA is a decades old law signed by President Ronald Reagan. It is designed to ensure people are able to receive emergency care even if they are unable to pay. EMTALA was never intended to require doctors to perform abortions, and nobody has ever interpreted the law that way before.

After the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022, President Biden issued an executive order urging the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify ways to use federal authority to expand abortion.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a letter and guidance instructing doctors and hospitals that EMTALA requires them to perform abortions or transfer the woman to another facility for an abortion if they determine the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the mother — even if the abortion would be illegal under state law.

Health exceptions in abortion laws are notoriously vague and can actually permit abortion on demand in many cases. That’s why states like Arkansas limit abortion to situations where the mother’s life is at risk instead of using a broader “health” exception.

However, the Biden Administration’s letter to doctors and hospitals last year specifically says, “And when a state law prohibits abortion and does not include an exception for the life and health of the pregnant person — or draws the exception more narrowly than EMTALA’s emergency medical condition definition — that state law is preempted [overridden by the federal government].”

The Biden Administration is trying to force E.R. doctors to perform abortions that might be illegal under state pro-life laws. The amicus brief we joined in the case argues that the federal government simply does not have that authority.

The Biden Administration has no business trying to overrule state pro-life laws or turn emergency rooms into abortion facilities.

Family Council is pleased to join with other pro-life groups in standing for life and pushing back against abortion in our country.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Slavery on American Soil: Migrants on Illegal Marijuana Farms

Marijuana

We have written time and again about how marijuana’s legalization in other states has actually emboldened drug cartels and organized crime.

Some of these illegal marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking and violent crime, and some have connections to foreign interests like the Chinese Communist Party.

Media correspondent Chuck Holton recently released a report highlighting this growing problem of modern day slavery on illegal marijuana farms.

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Marijuana Hurts Heart Health: Researchers

Marijuana,

Recent studies have highlighted the harm marijuana causes to heart health.

For example, a large study published in February found marijuana use is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular problems. 

The study — which analyzed data from nearly 435,000 American adults — is one of the largest to explore the relationship between marijuana and cardiovascular problems.

Among other things, researchers found:

  • Daily marijuana use was linked to 25% higher risk of heart attack and 42% higher risk of stroke.
  • Weekly marijuana use was associated with 3% higher likelihood of heart attack and 5% higher likelihood of stroke.

These increased risks were found even after accounting for tobacco use and other health factors.

Another study published last year found people with cannabis use disorder faced about 60% higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular problems.

Research like this has significant implications for Arkansas, where the group Arkansans for Patient Access is working to pass an amendment drastically expanding marijuana in the state.

Under this measure, marijuana users would no longer need to show they suffer from a specific medical condition listed in state law — making it easier to use marijuana recreationally.

The amendment would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

The amendment would guarantee marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the state’s marijuana industry.

The measure also fails to limit the amount of THC in marijuana products, and it repeals restrictions designed to protect children from marijuana advertising.

All of this would lead to more marijuana use in Arkansas.

Family Council Action Committee has materials available for volunteers and churches regarding the marijuana amendment:

You can learn more at FamilyCouncilActionCommittee.com.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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