The 3 - October 10, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes two stories regarding the abortion issue: the temporary blockage of the Texas heartbeat bill and subsequent reversal of the ban by a federal appeals court, and the restoration of a revenue stream that would allow taxpayer dollars to be used for abortions.  And, federal agencies will be taking action against parents protesting school board policies across the nation, based on an announcement by the Department of Justice, which, even though illegal "threats" are target, could have consequences for parents legally expressing their First Amendment rights.

Texas pro-life law blocked by federal judge and action was then put on hold by appeals court 

Disappointment turned to relief this past week, as a federal judge, responding to a lawsuit filed by the Biden Administration against the state of Texas, put the pro-life "heartbeat bill" on hold temporarily, only to have that action reversed by a higher court.

LifeNews.com reported that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals "...blocked the lower court’s ruling. The administrative stay is not permanent, but the pro-life victory optimistically signals how the court may rule on the merits of the case."  The article quotes Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz, who told LifeNews: “This is an answered prayer. The Texas Heartbeat Act saves approximately 100 lives from abortion per day, and we’re grateful that this tremendous impact will continue. We expect the Biden administration to appeal to the Supreme Court of the U.S., and we are confident Texas will continue to defeat these attacks on our life-saving efforts.”

The article states:

Attorneys for Texas said Biden’s Department of Justice is being unfair by asking the court to block “absent third parties” from enforcing the law “without letting them be heard.”

The Texas law went into effect Sept. 1, prohibiting abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable, about six weeks of pregnancy. Thus far, the courts have refused to temporarily block the law, and as many as 3,000 unborn babies already have been spared from abortion.

Stream of federal funding of abortion opened by health agency

In other news related to abortion, the Department of Health and Human Services has opened up another stream through which taxpayer money can be used to fund the taking of unborn human life. The Christian Post reported that the Department issued a rule that, "...is slated to take effect Nov. 8 and will allow 'Title X providers to provide truly nondirective counseling and refer their patients for all services desired by the client, including abortion services.'"

This reverses the policy of the previous Administration, which was known as the "Protect Life Rule." As the Post notes: "Under the current rule, companies that wish to provide both abortions and Title X family planning services are required to establish a 'strict physical and financial separation between abortion-related activities and Title X project activities.'" 

Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List, issued a statement, saying: "The strong majority of Americans oppose using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion on demand. The Protect Life Rule respected their will, as well as the plain statutory language of Title X - yet from day one, Joe Biden and his administration have worked to pay back the abortion lobby that spent millions to elect them."

Parents exercising rights to speak up at school board become potential targets of government action 

Throughout our country, parents are showing up at school board meetings challenging different areas of curricula, including components of critical race theory, pornographic textbook material, and gender studies that embrace a transgender-friendly point of view.  And, now the Department of Justice has issued it intent to curb this behavior, according to a story published at The Post Millennial, which states:

After the National School Board Association called on the Biden administration to take action against unruly parents who keep showing up at school board meetings, the Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland has taken up the cause against parents. The NSBA encouraged the Biden administration to classify the actions of concerned parents as "the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes."

The article goes on to say:

Garland's DOJ, which has stated that a primary concern is domestic extremism, wrote that the FBI and US Attorney's Offices will meet during the next month with law enforcement leaders across the country "to discuss strategies for addressing this disturbing trend."

The letter says, "Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values," and states a task force comprised of representatives from a variety of federal agencies will be formed and a tip line will be established.

Certainly, threats against public officials should not be tolerated, if indeed there are legitimate threats. But, one should not interpret parents exercising their First Amendment rights and speaking up on issues, including issues that violate Scriptural principles, as being threatening behavior.