The 3 - December 27, 2020

The final installment of The 3 for the year 2020 includes a group of Ohio Christian schools that were shut down by local health officials due to COVID-19.  Also, pro-life bills out of Arkansas were upheld by a panel of a federal appeals court, but a lower court judge stopped them on the same day they had taken effect. And, Big Tech is facing further pushback due to censorship concerns, and a major Christian broadcasters group is supporting Senate efforts to force accountability for social media platforms.

More COVID action against Christian schools

As we continue to follow the case of a Christian school in Kentucky that was temporarily closed due to the state's governor's COVID restrictions, a case turned back by the U.S. Supreme Court because schools in the state are due to reopen Jan. 4 when classes are scheduled to resume, there is a case out of Ohio involving a group of Christian schools threatened by coronavirus orders. 

ChristianHeadlines.com reports that...

...a group of Ohio-based Christian schools filed a lawsuit against the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department (TLCHD) after it ordered the schools to close their physical locations for six weeks in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to CBN News, the Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN) and three Christian Schools accuse the order of being unconstitutional. They added that the health department ignores medical data showing that schools are safe for children.

The head of the organization that operates the schools, Aaron Baer, said, "First Amendment freedoms don't go on a holiday break," adding, "The Lucas County Health Department has not only violated the religious liberty rights of Christian schools and students by denying them the right to provide religious instruction, but they've threatened the futures and mental health of Lucas County students." Baer added: "Despite all the medical evidence and experts that continue to say one of the safest places for children to be is in school, Lucas County has taken aggressive action to deny children the right to in-person education,” adding, “Meanwhile, they've let casinos, strip clubs, liquor stores, and concerts continue."

Federal appeals court allows pro-life laws in Arkansas to stand, only to be blocked again

A three-judge panel of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit had allowed an assortment of  Arkansas laws with abortion-related provisions to stand. The Christian Post reported that the pro-life laws "ban dismemberment abortions, require doctors to inform law enforcement when a girl younger than 16 obtains an abortion, prohibit abortions based on the sex of the unborn baby, and regulate the preservation and disposal of unborn babies’ tissue."

The A.C.L.U. and Center for Reproductive Rights had challenged the provisions in court, and after a lower court ruling had disallowed the laws, the Eighth Circuit set aside the lower court decision.  The challengers had asked for a review by the full court, but that was turned back, paving the way for the provisions to take effect. 

The article says:

In a statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Stephanie Sharp, a spokesperson for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, expressed support for the court ruling: “This is another win validating the pro-life laws in Arkansas.”

The Eighth Circuit’s ruling comes as Americans United for Life has recognized Arkansas as the most pro-life state in the Union. On Wednesday, the pro-life group released its “Life List 2021,” an “annual state ranking based on our comprehensive analysis of each state’s law and policy protections for human life from natural conception until natural death.”

“It is an incredible day in the state of Arkansas to be named the most pro-life state in America by Americans United for Life,” Rutledge said in response to the news.

And, the original federal judge who had put a halt to those laws before, on the same day, last Tuesday, the laws were supposed to take effect, blocked them again, according to the Democrat-Gazette.

Big Tech under fire

Accountability for Big Tech companies is the focus of a bill introduced recently into the U.S. Senate, according to the National Religious Broadcasters website, which says the bill, "the Promoting Responsibility Over Moderation In the Social Media Environment (PROMISE) Act," "is designed to hold Big Tech companies accountable for their promises to not operate their social media platforms with political bias..."

NRB supports the PROMISE Act, and CEO Troy Miller stated, "...We look forward to engaging these conversations in Congress and with the tech community as we seek to advocate for the free speech rights of our members."

In related news, President Trump has vetoed a defense authorization bill because it did not end Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which, according to CNBC, "protects tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter from being held legally liable for what is posted on their platforms."  The Senate and House will consider votes to override the Presidential veto this week, but one key senator, Lindsey Graham, in a Tweet posted in the CNBC article, said he would not vote to override as long as there is no action taken to reduce or eliminate Section 230. Graham has introduced legislation that would end Section 230 by the beginning of 2023.

The President termed the overall bill a "gift" to China and Russia.