The 3 - January 7, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 includes a new list issued by the U.S. State Department of countries who are the biggest violators in the arena of religious freedom.  Also, Baltimore pro-life pregnancy resource centers can breathe a little easier as the result of a Federal appeals court decision that keeps them from having to notify visitors that they do not perform abortion or provide birth control. And, churches and non-profit organizations will be able to receive Federal disaster aid as the result of an Administration reversal in policy.

3 - State Department releases list of countries who most inhibit religious freedom

The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act provides for the State Department to designate Countries of Practical Concern, or CPC's regarding religious persecution, according to a WORLD Magazine article which outlines this year's designated countries.

The same 10 CPC's were designated for 2017 as for 2016, countries that, according to the article, "violate global religious freedom standards." The countries are: Burma (also known as Myanmar), China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. There was one addition - that of Pakistan being added to a "special watch list" "for severe violations of religious freedom."

The WORLD article does note that:

In August, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended the addition of the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam to the list of CPCs, but the State Department decided to ignore the recommendation to avoid damaging diplomatic relations with those countries.

2 - Baltimore law requiring pro-life centers to refer for abortion struck down

The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered a ruling that is favorable toward pro-life pregnancy resource centers in Baltimore.  According to the Liberty Counsel website, the court struck down an ordinance that forced the centers to notify visitors that "they do not provide nor refer women for abortions or birth control services."

The Liberty Counsel website says:

The Fourth Circuit found that the ordinance violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment. In contrast to decisions by the Ninth Circuit which validated a similar law in California, the Fourth Circuit found that the Baltimore ordinance was not commercial or professional speech. The court said, “The compelled speech at issue here raises particularly troubling First Amendment concerns. At bottom, the disclaimer portrays abortion as one among a menu of morally equivalent choices. While that may be the city’s view, it is not the center’s.”

The site points out that the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing a case brought by a pregnancy resource center in California regarding that state's mandate that centers violate their deeply held beliefs. 

1 - New administration policy allows churches to receive FEMA aid

One of the "Top 10 Topics of 2017" from The Meeting House involved the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that a church was wrongly prohibited from participating in a program involving playground resurfacing, simply because it was a religious organization.  The 7-2 decision has borne some fruit in the instance of churches being denied Federal disaster aid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a Washington Times report that FEMA recently announced a change in policy, which "would allow houses of worship to apply for and receive disaster relief funds."

The article states:

Three Texas churches sued after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August, seeking federal assistance to rebuild.

They appealed to the Supreme Court after being denied the disaster relief and Justice Samuel A. Alito requested FEMA issue a response.

But before the court’s deadline, FEMA issued the Public Assistance and Policy Guide, “clarifying that private nonprofit houses of worship will not be singled out for disfavored treatment.”

A press release stated that "FEMA’s change allows private non-profit organizations, including churches, to receive financial assistance if they suffered damage on or after Aug. 23, or if they have applications currently pending as of that date..."