Update – Page 8 – Family Council

From Courtroom Confusion to Cultural Christianity, Here’s a Look Back at the Week

Mar 27, 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

Group Tells Pulaski County Court that the Right to Life Includes a Right to Abortion: An organization suing to overturn Arkansas’ pro-life laws filed a brief on Monday making the bizarre argument that protecting unborn babies from abortion violates the right to life. Keep Reading.

Federal Appeal Process Continues Over Arkansas’ Ten Commandments Law: Last week, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks issued a final decision against the Ten Commandments in a group of Arkansas school districts, but higher federal courts are already weighing arguments from the case. Keep Reading.

Arkansas Lawmakers Gearing Up for 2026 Budget Session: The Arkansas Legislature’s 2026 fiscal session will begin at noon on Wednesday, April 8, and lawmakers have already started pre-filing bills. The Arkansas House and Senate probably won’t pass any new laws, but they will set the State’s budget for the coming year. Keep Reading.

Study Links Sports Betting to Binge Drinking Among Young Men: Nationwide, sports betting is now legal in more than 30 states — including Arkansas, where people wagered an average of nearly $1.8 million every day on sports last year. But while sports betting is expanding across the country, the social cost is expanding as well. Keep Reading.

Former Basketball Players Fail to Cooperate with Sports Betting Investigation: Earlier this month, the NCAA reported two former North Carolina A&T men’s basketball players did not cooperate with an investigation into potential sports betting violations — meaning the athletes are now ineligible to play. The NCAA notes that both men are no longer members of the school’s basketball program and are not currently competing in NCAA sports. Keep Reading.

Scottish Parliament Rejects Euthanasia: Last week the Scottish Parliament reportedly rejected a proposal that would have made Scotland the first country in the U.K. to legalize assisted suicide. Keep Reading.

Why “Safe Sex” Messaging Failed: For decades, public health campaigns promoted “safe sex” as the key to preventing sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, and state and federal officials spent millions of dollars teaching comprehensive sex education to students. But evidence shows that despite the massive investment, STD rates and teen pregnancy rates have remained high. Keep Reading.

Why Gen Z “Nones” Are Reconsidering Religion: Gen Z is the least religious cohort in American history. 43% of this generation born roughly between 1996 and 2012 identify as religious “nones.” While there have been many reports since Charlie Kirk’s assassination indicating increased interest in religion and increased church attendance, according to statistician Ryan Burge, there is not yet statistical evidence of religious revival among young people. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

Louisville to pay $800K after court rules for Christian photographer. From Alliance Defending Freedom.

9 Things to Remember After the Death of Kermit Gosnell, ‘One of the Most Brutal Mass Murderers in American History’. From Pennsylvania Family Institute.

The Bible Does Not Support Abortion. From Breakpoint.

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

Arkansas Lawmakers Gearing Up for 2026 Budget Session

Mar 25, 2026Jerry CoxLegislatureAbortion, Arkansas Legislature, LEARNS, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life, Update

The Arkansas Legislature’s 2026 fiscal session will begin at noon on Wednesday, April 8, and lawmakers have already started pre-filing bills. The Arkansas House and Senate probably won’t pass any new laws, but they will set the State’s budget for the coming year.

We are looking forward to working with our friends at the Capitol on two important issues.

First, since 2022 we have worked with lawmakers to secure appropriations for grants to pregnancy help organizations. These pro-life charities provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies — often free of charge.

Now that abortion is generally prohibited in Arkansas, we want to make it unthinkable and irrelevant as well. Giving women real options besides abortion is one way we can do that. That’s what makes this grant funding so vital.

Second, lawmakers will review appropriations for the Educational Freedom Accounts (EFAs) created by the 2023 LEARNS Act. The funding for these accounts lets students in Arkansas use public money to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home.

Many families may feel trapped by failing public school systems or by one-size-fits-all approaches to education. For those families, the EFA program offers options that help them and their children thrive.

We plan to work with lawmakers to ensure Arkansas’ EFA program treats home schooled students fairly in the coming year.

Look for more news and information about Arkansas’ 2026 budget session at FamilyCouncil.org.

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

Prohibiting Parlays, Protecting the Preborn (Plus Plenty More)

Mar 13, 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

From Prop Bets to Proper Rules, Here are Eight Ways Arkansas Could Stop Predatory Sports Betting: Nationwide, sports betting is now legal in 39 states — including Arkansas, where people wager an average of nearly $1.8 million on it every day. But a growing body of evidence shows sports betting is harmful. Here are eight examples of common sense steps the State of Arkansas could take to rein in out-of-control sportsbooks. Keep Reading.

Nearly Half of NCAA Basketball Players Harassed by Sports Bettors: A recent NCAA study found that 46% of Division I men’s basketball players reported harassment from bettors on social media. Keep Reading.

Florida Lawmakers Add Surrogacy Ban to Foreign Interference Measure: Unlike most nation’s, the United States has few restrictions on commercial surrogacy arrangements, and that means commercial surrogacy agencies are able to hire women to bear children for paying customers — some of whom may be overseas. But lawmakers in Florida recently proposed legislation that would prevent some foreign nationals from entering into commercial surrogacy agreements in their state. Read More.

Building a Culture of Life One Resolution at a Time: Family Council has created a free toolkit to assist anyone who is interested in securing passage of a pro-life resolution in Arkansas. Be a part of this growing movement and help your community pass a pro-life resolution! Keep Reading.

Safe Haven Baby Box Dedications set for Morrilton and Jacksonville March 9 & 10: The new surrender locations mark the 419th Safe Haven Baby Box in the nation and the 35th in Arkansas, expanding access to safe, anonymous surrender options for mothers in crisis. Keep Reading.

A Christian Reflection on the Dangers of Marijuana and THC: Marijuana and drugs made from THC have spread across the nation, and marijuana’s supporters often say these products are completely harmless. But the evidence tells a very different story. Keep Reading.