NY Governor: God Did Not Slow COVID-19 Infections

Last week, reporters asked New York Governor Andrew Cuomo why the COVID-19 infection rate was slowing in his state.

Strangely, he responded by openly saying that God had nothing to do with the deceleration in infections.

John Stonestreet at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview writes,

Governor Cuomo said: “The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did that.” To be clear, he wasn’t asked about God or prayer, he just said it. . . .

Today, it’s more common for officials to just ignore God and any role He might play in our world.

But there’s a world of difference between leaving God unmentioned and outright denying He deserves any credit at all for anything, from miraculous intervention to strengthening medical professionals to acknowledging He gave some the minds to develop therapies and technologies.

America has a long tradition of turning to God in prayer during hardship and declaring days of thanksgiving after those hardships have passed.

In Arkansas, Governor Hutchinson declared a statewide day of prayer last month amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In light of all of that, it’s troubling to see the governor of one of America’s most prominent states — one where the coronavirus outbreak has been especially bad — openly deny that God has had anything to do whatsoever with a slow down in the virus infection rate.

Photo Credit: Andrew Cuomo by Pat Arnow.jpeg: Pat Arnowderivative work: UpstateNYer / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Four Questions and Answers About Abortion in Arkansas Amid COVID-19

Over the past few days and weeks we have heard a lot of questions about abortion in Arkansas amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Here are a few questions and answers on the issue:

#1. Has Arkansas Shut Down Abortion Facilities?

Arkansas’ health directives don’t shut down specific facilities.

Rather, they prohibit certain procedures.

The public health directives from the State of Arkansas prohibit elective surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic — including elective surgical abortions.

The State of Arkansas reportedly issued a cease and desist order against the surgical abortion facility in Little Rock, telling the facility to stop performing elective surgical abortions.

In response, the facility filed a legal challenge in federal court.

#2. Where Do Things Stand With the Lawsuit Against the State?

The surgical abortion facility in Little Rock filed a legal challenge against the state in federal court on Monday.

On Tuesday U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a temporary restraining order against the State of Arkansas.

The temporary order prevents the state from enforcing its cease and desist order against the abortion facility for 14 days while the lawsuit continues.

The Attorney General’s office has asked the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Judge Baker’s restraining order.

Given the Eighth Circuit’s track record, there’s a very good possibility Arkansas ultimately will win this legal battle over abortion.

#3. Why Are Abortion Facilities in Arkansas Still Open?

Two reasons:

First, because U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker’s restraining order issued on Tuesday effectively allows surgical abortion in Arkansas to continue as usual for the time being.

Second, because the state’s health directives only affect elective surgical abortions.

That means that abortion facilities are still able to administer abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486.

It also means they can conduct other activities besides abortions at their facilities.

The fact that the directive is narrowly tailored to apply to surgical procedures could make it more defensible in court.

#4. Why Did the State Wait So Long to Do Something About Surgical Abortions?

The State actually did not wait to address abortion facilities. Public health officials have been working for a while to address this issue.

On March 30, Governor Hutchinson and Secretary of Health Dr. Nathaniel Smith issued guidelines telling all medical clinics to postpone elective procedures, but abortion providers did not comply.

On April 3, Governor Hutchinson and Secretary of Health Dr. Nathaniel Smith issued a directive, with the force of law, specifically naming abortion providers. Again, abortionists kept performing surgical abortions.

On April 7, inspectors from the State of Arkansas found proof that elective surgical abortions were taking place despite the state’s directives and guidelines.

On Friday, April 10, Little Rock Family Planning Services — Arkansas’ only surgical abortion clinic — received a “cease and desist” letter and was told to stop performing surgical abortions or face penalties from the state.

Abortionists filed a legal challenge on Monday, April 13, and U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a restraining order against the state the following day.

On April 15 Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office asked the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Judge Baker’s restraining order.

A.G. Asks Court to Let Arkansas Enforce Abortion Rules

Yesterday Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office asked the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to let the state enforce restrictions on surgical abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s a recap of everything that has happened with this case in the past week:

Last Friday the State of Arkansas sent a cease and desist order to a facility in Little Rock that was performing elective surgical abortions despite state health directives prohibiting elective surgeries.

The abortion facility responded by filing a legal challenge against the state on Monday.

On Tuesday U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a temporary restraining order against the state. The order effectively allows surgical abortions to continue as usual in Arkansas.

Yesterday the A.G.’s office asked the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Judge Baker’s bad restraining order.

Given the Eighth Circuit’s track record, we are hopeful that the court will put Judge Baker’s bad order on hold and ultimately rule against the abortion facilities.

Surgical abortions waste precious medical resources.

We have ample evidence that women from neighboring states, including COVID-19 hotspots, are coming to Arkansas for abortions. Traveling like that increases the risk that people in Arkansas and elsewhere will be exposed to the coronavirus. 

Ordering abortionists to stop performing elective surgical abortions is the right thing to do, and we’re proud of Arkansas’ Governor, Attorney General, and public health officials for standing by that decision.

We will continue to monitor and report on this situation as it develops.