Current Events – Page 5 – Family Council

Kansas Legislature Stands Up for Free Speech, Life, and Families with Laws Similar to Arkansas’

Apr 21, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsAbortion, Free Speech, Life, Pro-life, Religious Freedom, Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Human Life

The Kansas Legislature made headlines recently by overriding Governor Laura Kelly’s vetoes of several important bills — such as bills protecting free speech on college campuses, defunding Planned Parenthood, strengthening women’s informed consent laws, and expanding education freedom for families.

All of these measures are similar to good laws Arkansas has enacted over the years.

The Kansas Intellectual Rights and Knowledge Act — the KIRK Act — protects students at public colleges and universities from being censored for their beliefs. Under the law, students are free to engage in speech and expressive activities on campus without fear of punishment for holding the “wrong” viewpoint. The measure is similar to laws Arkansas has enacted in the past.

Public universities are supposed to be places where ideas are freely exchanged. But in recent years, students and faculty with traditional or Christian viewpoints have increasingly found themselves silenced. As our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom have said, this kind of viewpoint-based censorship is a clear violation of the First Amendment.

Government should not be in the business of picking which ideas are acceptable and which ones must be silenced.

The Kansas Legislature also voted to keep taxpayer dollars away from Planned Parenthood. That is exactly the right call.

Arkansans have long agreed that their tax dollars should not subsidize the abortion industry, and Arkansas law reflects that.

On education, Kansas lawmakers passed the Education Freedom Tax Credit, which lets families choose a school that reflects their values rather than being locked into a government-run school. That is a commonsense parental rights measure, and it mirrors the kind of education freedom Arkansas has worked to expand through its own Educational Freedom Account program under the 2023 LEARNS Act.

Arkansas has consistently been a leader when it comes to protecting free speech, the free exercise of religion, and the right to life. It’s good to see other state legislatures doing the same.

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

Bad Homeschool Rules and More: New This Week

Apr 17, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

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Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

🍎 State Board of Education Unanimously Approves Rules Despite Homeschool Concerns: Last week the State Board of Education unanimously approved new rules governing Educational Freedom Account spending on athletics despite concerns voiced by homeschoolers. Keep Reading.

🏛️ Two Measures Filed to Restrict Homeschoolers Under EFA Program: Two identical non-appropriation measures — H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 — have been filed to restrict homeschoolers participating in the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program. Keep Reading.

☑️ Unpacking EFA Rules, Homeschool Measures at the Capitol: We are urging homeschoolers across the state to call the Arkansas House of Representatives and Arkansas Senate, and ask their lawmakers to oppose H.R. 1008, S.R. 16, and a new set of Educational Freedom Account rules from the Arkansas Department of Education. Keep Reading.

📜 One Bad Homeschool Measure Fails at Capitol: On Wednesday, H.R. 1008 failed in the House Rules Committee. After testimony from the measure’s sponsor and questions and answers from the lawmakers, the proposal failed to receive a “Do Pass” motion from the committee members. Keep Reading.

🥼 Study Links Marijuana to Lung Cancer Risk: Across the U.S., many states have legalized marijuana either for “medical” or “recreational” use, but a growing body of scientific research reveals marijuana is actually much more dangerous that many people realize. Keep Reading.

❔ Study Shows Marijuana May Trigger False Memories: A recent study shows marijuana may actually trigger false memories in users. Keep Reading.

🥼 CDC Data Shows Fertility Rate in America at an All Time Low: Public health data released last week shows the fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low last year. Keep Reading.

💉 Study Shows Mental Health Problems Surge Among Adolescents Subjected to Sex-Reassignment: A recent medical study out of Finland shows adolescents subjected to sex-reassignment face much higher risk of mental illness. Keep Reading.

🟰 How HRC’s Corporate “Equality” Index Harms Children: You may be surprised to learn that when you picked up that matte red lipstick at Ulta, you were helping fund cross-sex hormones for gender-confused kids. Or that when you ordered that chicken al pastor with extra guac at Chipotle, you were subsidizing IVF and surrogacy, which is intentionally creating children who will be separated from their mother or father. Keep Reading.

💰 FDIC Bans “Reputation Risk” Policies Used to De-Bank Conservatives: Last week the FDIC issued a final rule eliminating “reputation risk” policies that financial institutions used as an excuse to debank conservatives. Keep Reading.

📃 Family Council Joins Letter Urging DOJ to Address Abortion Drugs: On Monday, Family Council joined a coalition of pro-life leaders from around the nation in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Justice to address abortion drugs. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

Florida Threatens to Sue Miss America for False Advertising Over Definition of ‘Female’. From Daily Citizen.

Biden Prosecutors Knowingly Withheld Evidence When Targeting Pro-Life Americans. From LifeNews.

HHS rep: FDA still intends abortion pill review to finish ahead of schedule. From Live Action.

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

From Homeschool Rules to Abortion Drugs in Court, Here’s a Look Back at the Week’s Top Stories

Apr 10, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

📃 Family Council, Education Alliance Ask Arkansas Board of Education to Rethink EFA Restrictions on Team Sports: On Monday, Family Council and its homeschool division, the Education Alliance, submitted public comments expressing concerns over new rules governing Educational Freedom Account spending on athletics. Keep Reading.

⚖️ Family Council Joins Brief Defending States’ Authority to Protect Life: The State of Missouri has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the FDA’s mail-order abortion drug protocols. Last week, Family Council joined an amicus brief led by Advancing American Freedom in that lawsuit. Keep Reading.

💉 Latest Oregon Report Shows Sobering Statistics on Assisted Suicide: The state’s 2025 reports show that a record 637 lethal prescriptions for assisted suicide were written last year. Keep Reading.

❔ Is Transgender Ideology “In Retreat”? Pollsters at Gallup have found most Americans now say it is “morally wrong” to change genders. Most believe that drivers’ licenses should list biological sex instead of gender identity. And most do not think men should compete against women in women’s sports. Keep Reading.

🥼 American Medical Association Says It Still Supports Sex-Change Procedures for Children: In February, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced it now recommends delaying sex-rejecting surgeries for children until at least age 19, and at the time many media outlets reported that the American Medical Association also believed these procedures were inappropriate for kids. But in its March newsletter, the AMA board clarified that those media reports were wrong. Its policy on sex-change surgeries actually has not changed. Keep Reading.

📜 U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Colorado’s “Conversion Therapy” Ban: In an 8-1 opinion delivered last Tuesday, the Court held that Colorado’s law against so-called “conversion therapy” violates the First Amendment. Keep Reading.

💬 This Supreme Court Ruling Has Major Implications for Free Speech: In a video interview with Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, ADF senior counsel Jake Warner said, “Colorado has been no respecter of the First Amendment. ADF has litigated multiple cases, including up to the U.S. Supreme Court against the state of Colorado in its effort to censor ideas that it disagrees with.” Keep Reading.

⚖️ These Two U.S. Supreme Court Cases Could Affect Arkansas Law: Between now and the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue decisions in two court cases that could affect whether states like Arkansas are free to preserve fairness in women’s athletic programs. Keep Reading.