Nation’s Largest Abortion Provider Renews Opposition to Hyde Amendment

Abortion, , , ,

On Monday Planned Parenthood — the nation’s largest abortion provider — renewed calls for congress to end the Hyde Amendment and pass legislation paying for abortions with taxpayer funds.

The Hyde Amendment is a bipartisan budget provision that generally prevents taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions except in cases of rape or incest or when the mother’s life or physical health are in jeopardy. Without the Hyde Amendment, public funding could be used to pay for abortions for any reason.

The Hyde Amendment is a bipartisan compromise that has existed since the 1970s, but debate over the measure has escalated in recent years.

For example, in 2016 and 2020, Planned Parenthood began calling for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

As a U.S. Senator, President Biden supported the Hyde Amendment, but he reversed his position during his presidential campaign in 2019 and 2020.

In 2020 and 2021 liberals in Washington began pushing to propose a federal budget that would permit taxpayer-funded abortions.

Planned Parenthood’s statement on Monday called for Congress to end the Hyde Amendment and pass the EACH Act — a law that would pay for abortions with taxpayer funds.

Public opinion polling has shown time and again that Americans overwhelmingly oppose taxpayer-funded abortion.

Abortion ends the lives of unborn children. Repealing the Hyde Amendment would hurt women and unborn children, and it would be grossly out of step with will of everyday Americans.

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

READ MORE

Federal Judge Rules Crawford County Library Cannot Separate LGBT Books from Children’s Section

LGBT,
Above: One of the pro-LGBT books at issue in Crawford County. The book is intended for children ages 5-9.

On Monday a federal judge in Fort Smith ruled the Crawford County Library cannot place pro-LGBT books in a “social section” separate from the library’s children’s section. The case underscores the growing division in Arkansas over public libraries being used to promote pro-LGBT material to kids.

In 2022 the Crawford County Library System removed LGBT-themed children’s books from the children’s section of the library at the request of the quorum court and placed the books in a separate area of the library.

To be clear, the library did not remove the LGBT books from circulation. It gave the books their own shelf space away from other children’s books.

However, three individuals sued Crawford County in federal court. On Monday U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes, III ruled against Crawford County — meaning the books must be put back in the children’s section.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. The Jonesboro public library has been at the center of multiple controversies over its decision to place books with sexually-explicit images in its children’s section and for failing to adopt a policy that separates sexual material from children’s books.

The library in Jonesboro even went so far as to post on Facebook that it isn’t the library’s responsibility to protect kids from obscenity.

Other public libraries in Arkansas have failed to separate pro-LGBT books and sexual material from children’s material as well.

Families should be able to take their children to the library without worrying what their children might see, and taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize pro-LGBT library books or graphic novels that depict explicit images of children.

We trust our federal courts ultimately will agree and let local communities like Crawford County protect children from inappropriate material in public libraries.

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

READ MORE

Arkansas Farm Bureau Forms Campaign Against Marijuana Issue 3

Marijuana,

On Monday Arkansas Farm Bureau for a Safe and Healthy Arkansas filed paperwork with the Arkansas Ethics Commission indicating it would oppose Issue 3, a proposal to drastically expand marijuana in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Secretary of State announced this week that Issue 3’s sponsors failed to meet the legal requirements to place the measure on the ballot, but the Arkansas Supreme Court is expected to have the final say over whether the measure will be voted on.

Issue 3 would make more than 30 changes to Arkansas’ constitution. Among other things, the amendment would give a handful of businesses a monopoly over marijuana in Arkansas, and it would remove restrictions that protect children from marijuana marketing.

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.

Arkansas Farm Bureau for a Safe and Healthy Arkansas is the latest organization to announce opposition to marijuana amendment Issue 3.

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.

READ MORE