Senate Committee Passes Pro-Life Bill

Abortion, , ,

Rep. Clemmer and Sen. RapertThis morning the Senate Public Health Committee passed a really good, pro-life bill.

House Bill 1394 by Representative Fite requires abortion doctors who perform drug-induced abortions to follow FDA protocols. The bill protects women from unsafe abortion practices, and it has the potential to save unborn children by preventing doctors from performing chemical abortions later in pregnancy than the FDA protocols allow.

The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate, where it will likely be voted on later this week or early next week.

If you would like to ask your senator to support this bill when it comes up for a vote in the entire Arkansas Senate, you can leave a message with the Senate switchboard at (501) 682-2902.

READ MORE

Gym Bans Woman Who Complained of Man in Locker Room

Current Events, ,

Planet Fitness in Michigan has revoked the gym membership of a woman who complained and told other members about a man using the women’s locker rooms.

According to various sources, the gym revoked Yvette Cormier’s membership because she violated their “judgment free” conduct policy.

In response to the situation, Planet Fitness released a statement saying,

“Our gender identity non-discrimination policy states that members and guests may use all gym facilities based on their sincere self-reported gender identity.”

Ms. Cormier told CNN the policy was “something they [should have] pointed out when I signed up.” She told another news outlet, “I wouldn’t have signed up for this gym if I knew that ahead of time” and that the gym is “failing to protect me if anything happens in those locker rooms with a man.”

Fortunately for Ms. Cormier, she can still take her business to a gym that does not let biological males who claim to be female use the women’s locker rooms; however, under some of the so-called “nondiscrimination” laws and ordinances filed around the country, all “places of public accommodation” (including fitness gyms) would be forced to let a man use the women’s locker rooms, showers, and changing areas if he claims to be a woman.

This was a concern many people raised about the ordinance the Fayetteville City Council passed last year; that ordinance was repealed at a special election, but the Eureka Springs City Council hastily passed an even broader ordinance last month.

The issue is one of public safety, which Ms. Cormier summed up very well in her interview with CNN:

“This is all new to me. I didn’t go out to specifically bash a transgender person that day. I was taken aback by the situation. This is about me and how I felt unsafe.”

You can read more about this situation here and here.

READ MORE

Navy Chaplain Fired for Expressing Religious Views

Religious Freedom,

Recently, news broke about the Lt. Commander Wes Modder, a Navy chaplain who served the U.S. Navy SEALs, who was targeted by the U.S. Navy for being honest about his faith.

Family Research Council has some details on the case:

“[T]he 19-year veteran has been stripped of his duties for sharing the good news he was hired to share. In a stunning turn of events, the chaplain was sabotaged by one of his own men, who secretly gathered enough information on Modder’s beliefs and private counseling sessions to file a formal complaint. Believe it or not, he was targeted by his own assistant — who Modder didn’t realize was gay. Looking back, the chaplain says the young officer asked a lot of questions about homosexuality, which Modder answered as most would expect: in accordance with the Bible’s teachings.

“The mask finally slipped in December, when representatives with the Equal Opportunity office served Modder with papers accusing him of ‘discrimination.’ Captain Jon Fahs — who five months earlier praised Modder as the ‘best of the best’ — now insists that he ‘failed to show tolerance and respect.’ Worse, he didn’t have a chance to defend himself. Almost immediately, the dad of four was relieved of his duties and told to clean out his office.

“He was guilty before proven innocent. And of what? Fulfilling his job description?”

Chaplains have been a part of the U.S. military since the days of George Washington. A chaplain’s duty is religious in nature. If chaplains are not free to discuss their faith, then what are they free to discuss? What’s the point of having chaplains in the military if they are not free to be religious and share the tenets of the faith that motivates their service? It simply does not make sense.

We will continue to monitor this situation in the days to come.

READ MORE