Federal Judge Again Blocks Pro-Life Law in Arkansas

Abortion, , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Little Rock – Late Monday afternoon U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a temporary restraining order against Arkansas’ 2015 Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act.

The law requires abortion-inducing drugs to be administered according to FDA protocols and ensures clinics that perform drug-induced abortions contract with a physician who has hospital admitting privileges to handle any complications from the abortion. In May the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear arguments over a 2016 order Judge Baker issued against the law, allowing it to go into effect. Judge Baker’s latest restraining order once again blocks the law in Arkansas.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement saying, “Judge Baker’s decision to block this law means women who experience complications from abortions will have to drive themselves to the nearest emergency room, where they will be seen by doctors and nurses who know nothing about their medical history. This law passed with strong support in the Arkansas Legislature, and it has already survived one round of legal challenges in federal court. It protects the health and safety of pregnant women in Arkansas. Judge Baker’s decision undermines the health and safety of Arkansans.”

Cox dismissed Baker’s claim that the law created an undue burden. “Arkansas has about 6,000 licensed physicians, and a majority of them have admitting privileges with one or more hospitals. It is not unreasonable for the State to require abortion clinics to contract with a doctor who has hospital admitting privileges.”

Cox said he is confident the law will be upheld on appeal. “Ultimately, this question is going to end up in a higher court. Attorney General Rutledge’s office has done an excellent job defending this law. Her team won some big victories in federal court last year, and I believe this law will be upheld on appeal.”

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Photo Credit: By Brian Turner (Flickr: My Trusty Gavel) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Gay Activists Won’t Let Glenwood Methodist Church Look the Other Way

Religious Freedom, ,

“Just look the other way.  If you have moral objections, you don’t have to participate. Just live and let live.”

That’s what Christians have been told over and over again.  When we’ve objected to risqué shows on TV, they told us to change the channel.  When communities oppose adult-oriented businesses, they tell us to just drive on by.  The makers of violent videogames urge people who don’t like the games not to play them.

Well now that’s not good enough. Gay activists recently announced plans to host an event at Magic Springs theme park on Gay Pride Day. When the First Methodist Church of Glenwood urged its members to just drive on by Magic Springs, they were shouted down.

The church Facebook page simply said, “Please avoid taking your children to Magic Springs on June 30th.  It is LGBT Pride Day.”

Gay activists immediately attacked the church claiming they had said LGBT individuals are going to Hell.   Of course the church never implied such a thing, but biased news reports and the nature of social media comments prompted the church to shut down its Facebook page and refuse media interviews.

Now, let’s stop and think for a minute.  If the church had urged its members to avoid a rock concert at Verizon Arena or to avoid Florida’s Panama City Beach during Spring Break, nothing would have been said about it.  How is Gay Pride Day any different?  If a church can’t urge its members to engage in what it believes to be good behavior, what have we come to?

So much for live and let live.  I guess when it comes to gay pride, looking the other way is not allowed.

Photo Credit: By Glen Gaboury.

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