This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes developments out of France, which became the first nation on earth to place a right to an abortion in its constitution. In Nigeria, hundreds have been abducted in a country where terror groups are especially brutal toward Christians. And, in Alabama, it has been discovered that a man identifying as a woman has been allowed to chaperone female attendees at Space Camp in Huntsville.
France becomes first country to include right to abortion in country's constitution
USA Today stated it very plainly: "France made history on Monday as the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution."
Amending the 1958 Constitution, lawmakers voted by 780 to 72 in favour of guaranteeing “the freedom of women to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy”.
Activists have been pushing for pro-abortion protections to be included in France’s constitution since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.
The article goes on to say:
In a statement last week, the Council of Evangelical Christians in France expressed fear that such a change would weaken “the right of healthcare workers to conscientious objection” and erode “freedom of expression”.
It also notes:
Abortion was legalised in France in 1975. It is permitted on demand in the first fourteen weeks of pregnancy, and up to birth for some reasons.
Figures compiled by Worldometer indicate that abortion claimed more than 44 million lives worldwide in 2023 and is the leading cause of death for the fifth year in a row.
Hundreds of people, including students at a school, abducted in Nigeria
Close to 700 people, including almost 300 students at a school, have been abducted since the first of March in the nation of Nigeria, according to International Christian Concern. The organization, that supports the persecuted Church, reported:
On Sunday, March 3, gunmen from the Boko Haram terrorist group kidnapped at least 400 people from multiple IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps in the northern state of Borno. On Thursday, March 7, unidentified armed herders attacked a school in Kuriga, Kaduna State, kidnapping at least 287 students and teachers.The article says that: "Boko Haram, as well as other militant groups in Nigeria, contribute to the continued recommendation for Nigeria to be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by the U.S. Dept. of State." That has only occurred one out of the last 15 years.
These horrific accounts come just seven days before the 10th anniversary of the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping, which sparked the international campaign #bringbackourgirls. Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014, 98 of whom are still in custody.
Boko Haram and the Islamic State are Muslim extremist groups that operate freely in parts of Nigeria. The name Boko Haram translates to “Western education is a sin,” and the militant group is hostile to Western ideals. Additionally, some nomadic Fulani herdsmen, also known as the Fulani militia, often ruthlessly target Christians and attack villages. Armed gangs known as bandits occupy remote forests where there is little to no government presence, and they terrorize villagers with kidnappings, raids and killings.
The article notes that:
Open Doors South Africa calls Nigeria the most violent place in the world for Christians and posted on X that on average, 11 Christians are killed in Nigeria daily. “Pray for your Nigerian family who live in the most world’s most violent place for Christians!” they posted.
Space Camp controversy over male supervising female attendees grows
This past week, there was much discussion over the discovery that a biological male presenting as a female was being allowed to supervise girls attending Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. 1819 News reported:
On Monday, Alabama lawmakers and thousands of others responded to reports from Huntsville-based Clay Yarbrough, who learned that Molly Bowman, a biological male who identifies as a female, would be working in the overnight camp he planned to send his daughter.
Yarbrough included several screenshots from Bowman's social media, which was filled with hyper-sexual commentary.
The responses varied, with many showing disgust for the Space Camp and others supporting Bowman, saying he did nothing wrong.
The transgender individual "is a team lead and a hall monitor in the girls dorms and at times could be allowed to be alone in the halls at night," according to Yarbrough's post Facebook. In the comments, he included some of the social media posts by the transgender employee, which included graphic, violent and sexual comments about sexuality and gender.That article notes that U.S. Rep. Dale Strong said, "I call on the Center to immediately remove the individual and open a safety review to consider the potential harm and damages they have inadvertently caused children..."
The current state law prohibits this discussion through fifth grade.
Butler's bill plans to extend this through 12th grade and apply to all programs and space activities at Space Camp.
No comments:
Post a Comment