The 3 - December 12, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 features some activity from the U.S. Supreme Court, which not only allowed a ban on many abortions in Texas to continue, but also heard arguments in a case involving a tuition credit program from Maine which apparently is not open to students at schools regarded as too religious.  And, church leaders in the U.K. are challenging a ban on what is termed "conversion therapy," which is the term that includes counseling, including Biblically-based counseling, that can help people resist and/or overcome same-sex attraction.

Texas heartbeat law will continue to be in effect, thanks to U.S. Supreme Court

The Texas law that would ban abortion in most cases following the time that an unborn baby's heartbeat is detected has been in effect since September 1, has drawn several court challenges, and thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, will continue to help save babies' lives in the state - perhaps as many as 100 per day.

The law had been challenged all the way to the high court shortly before its implementation and was allowed to go into effect.  It has been challenged in court by abortion providers and the current administration - the 5th Circuit had rejected the federal government's attempt to block the law, and it was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Just a few days ago, according to LifeNews.com:

The high court ruled that the Texas abortion businesses challenging the law can continue with their lawsuit, but the good news is the Texas abortion ban remains on the books and will continue protecting babies from abortion whose hearts have begun beating.

The Supreme Court voted 8-1, with Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting, to allow the Texas abortion companies’ lawsuit to continue and the court voted 8-1, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissenting, to dismiss the Biden lawsuit against the ban. The Biden administration claimed it had the right to enforce the so-called “right” to abortion, but the Supreme Court disagreed.

So, there is still continuing legal action, but the high court has maintained its position not to interfere with the ban. In another development, according to LifeNews.com:

The high court also watered down the lawsuit the Texas abortion companies filed, saying they may sue state licensing officials, but not the state judges and clerks who are charged with handling lawsuits spurred by the law. That could severely limit their ability to stop the private enforcement mechanism behind the ban, which has saved thousands of babies from abortions.

The article quotes Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz, who said: “We are grateful that the Supreme Court practiced judicial restraint today and stopped the Biden administration’s pro-abortion campaign against the strongest Pro-Life law being enforced today. While we continue to fight for this policy in the lower courts, Texas Right to Life celebrates that the Texas Heartbeat Act will continue saving between 75-100 preborn children from abortion per day. The success of our efforts is embodied by each individual life that is rescued.”

High court hears arguments in case of Maine parents denied tuition credits for religious schools

The state of Maine has a program in which qualifying students can receive money for tuition for public and private schools - as long as those private schools are not deemed to be excessively religious, it seems.  That provision drew a lawsuit that ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The Christian Post reports that:

The high court heard oral arguments for nearly two hours on Wednesday morning in the case of Carson v. Makin. The legal battle centers on a group of parents suing Maine over the limitations of a program that provides taxpayer-funded tuition dollars to parents residing in remote areas where there is no public school available for their children to attend.

The article goes on to say that attorney, "Michael Bindas of the Institute for Justice argued the case on behalf of parents, who described Maine's program restriction as unconstitutional 'religious discrimination.'"

The Christian Post quoted from Deputy Attorney General Christopher Taub, who said: "The goal of the program is religious neutrality," adding, "We've never heard of a school that's anti-religious, a school that teaches that all religion is bad. But ... it's clear that such a school would not be religiously neutral." The article says:

Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked Taub, "how would you even know if ... a school taught all religions are bigoted and biased," noting that there was "no formal examination" into the curriculum.

Chief Justice John Roberts also expressed concern. The article states that Roberts "...noted that the Supreme Court has previously opposed allowing 'the government to draw distinctions between religions based on their doctrine.'"

Bindas said in his opening arguments on behalf of the parents: "Religious schools, after all, teach religion. Just as a soccer team plays soccer or a book club reads books...Yes, it is part of what they do; it is also part of who they are."

U.K. pastors fight ban on therapy to help people reject same-sex attraction

A ban on so-called "conversion therapy," which more accurately can be described as a form of counseling to help people resist same-sex attraction, could be mandated in a law set to go into effect in the United Kingdom, and over a thousand concerned church leaders have signed on to a petition in opposition to the proposed law.

As CBN.com reports:

According to Christian Concern, 1,400 pastors have signed a petition asking the government to strike down a proposal that would ban so-called conversion therapy.

If passed, the measure could prevent ministers from helping those with unwanted same-sex attraction and could even prevent them from sharing the Gospel.

"It should not be a criminal offense for us to instruct our children that God made them male and female, in his image, and has reserved sex for the marriage of one man and one woman. Yet this seems to be the likely outcome of the proposed legislation," the petition reads.

The article relates that "The UK government is currently accepting proposals on how to legislate the ban."

The article quotes Dr. Ian Paul, who is described as "a member of the General Synod of the Church of England," who said: "There is a real risk that pastoral ministry will be criminalized and that human rights, including the right to religious belief, will be trampled on."  He said that the definition of what is termed "conversion therapy" is "ill-defined."

Rev. Graham Nicholls, who is the Director of a consortium of churches in the UK called Affinity, said: "Those who are campaigning for the law, their stated aim is that prayers or any kind of encouragement to do what we would say the Bible is teaching in terms of sexual ethics, should be prohibited."