The 3 - March 16, 2025

Trump administration switches side in emergency room abortion case

Just as in the case out of Tennessee, where gender-change treatments and surgeries have been banned under a state law, a case that has now been heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Trump administration has switched sides in a case out of Idaho, in which the previous administration had filed a lawsuit attempting to force emergency room doctors to perform abortions, challenging a pro-life state law.

That is according to The Daily Signal, which reported: "The Biden administration...sued Idaho to prevent it from applying its abortion ban to emergency rooms. In August 2022, a U.S. District Court judge issued an injunction against Idaho. More than a year later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirmed that injunction and Idaho subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court."  The article went on to say:

The Supreme Court stayed the injunction in January 2024 and positioned the case as an actual appeal on the merits of the underlying Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act issue rather than just a request for a temporary procedural hold. The court directed that arguments in the case occur in April 2024 but, after that deadline came and went, the court dismissed the appeal as “improvidently granted.” In this case, that’s a fancy term for jumping the gun.

The article related:

So the case is now back in Idaho, this time amid speculation that the incoming Trump administration would no longer insist that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act overrides state pro-life laws. St. Luke’s Health System, a Boise nonprofit that operates medical centers and pharmacies, asked a U.S. District Court judge for another injunction against Idaho enforcing its pro-life law in emergency rooms. The judge agreed.

As expected, the Trump administration decided to no longer try to force Idaho to allow emergency room abortions and, joined by the state of Idaho, asked that the case be dismissed on March 5, 2025. The previous day, however, St. Luke’s obtained a temporary restraining order keeping the case in place for now.

State school superintendent's efforts in OK to provide Bibles halted by state's highest court

Ryan Walters is the state school superintendent in Oklahoma.  He wants to make thousands of Bibles available to students in the state.  The Washington Times noted last week:

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has temporarily blocked an attempt by the state’s schools superintendent to purchase Bibles to be placed in public classrooms.

The state’s highest court issued an order Monday that blocks Superintendent Ryan Walters from using taxpayer dollars to purchase Bibles and Bible-related material for public schools.

He had planned to buy more than 50,000 Bibles to incorporate into fifth- through 12th-grade classes.

The article stated:

Nearly three dozen families, teachers and religious leaders have challenged the moves to incorporate the Bible and Bible-related material into the school curriculum; on Monday, the state’s highest court agreed. 

The court issued a stay, pausing any new purchase requests by Mr. Walters.

Good News spreading: hundreds of thousands hear message in Ethiopia

And, a story of God at work has emerged out of the nation of Ethiopia.  CBN News reported recently:

Evangelist Franklin Graham preached the powerful message of the gospel to more than 400,000 people over the weekend in a massive public square that was once infamous for its Communist rallies.

Hundreds of thousands of people worshipped Jesus at Meskel Square for the "Encountering God Ethiopia" outreach.

It was a major turnout of 437,000 people hungry to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ for the two day-event.

 The article went on to say:

On the first night, 117,000 people attended and on the second night 320,000 were in attendance.

"The square was so full, thousands of people spilled into the nearby streets to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ," reads a BGEA press release.

The ministry reports that 4,000 people made decisions for Christ and many of these new believers will be discipled by local churches to help them grow in their walk with the Lord, BGEA reports.

The Association quoted from Dereje Jemberu, general secretary of the Ethiopian Council of Gospel Believers Churches, who said: "I have no words to express my heart. My eyes were full of tears to see so many people respond to the good news that was preached. This is what we wanted—we have been praying many years for a moment such as this," adding, "I thank God for what He is doing in Ethiopia and what He has done this weekend. This has helped encourage and motivate evangelical churches to continue to work together to understand one another and to organize activities to reach as many people as possible with the hope of Jesus Christ..."