The 3 - January 23, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, features coverage of the 49th annual March for Life in Washington, DC, in which thousands rallied and marched through the nation's capital to support life.  Also, the issue of transgender athletes is a concern among Christian groups, and the NCAA has addressed the topic recently. And, another court has ruled against mandating COVID vaccines, this time for federal employees.

Thousands brave cold and COVID to March for Life

After a year off from the traditional March for Life event, which was more of a virtual occasion last year, thousands came to the nation's capital to show their support for the sanctity of human life and the protection of unborn children, with marchers no doubt keenly aware that changes in abortion law could be implemented soon. Faithwire announced on its website:

Organizers say at least 50,000 people packed the streets of our nation’s capital for the 49th annual March for Life, and as seen on the CBN News livestream, the demographics of attendees varied greatly and included a significant number of young people.

Faithwire is a CBN website and offered the livestream on its home page. 

Its summary article about the march, which had the theme, "Equality Begins in the Womb," noted that a scheduled concert by Matthew West did not proceed due to his COVID issues, but Jordan St. Cyr provided the opening music.  

Several speakers were notable, according to coverage of the event, including Katie Shaw, a 36-year-old with Down Syndrome, Toni McFadden, founder of Relationship Matters, Lisa Robertson, wife of Duck Dynasty's Al Robertson, and Kirk Cameron.  The Faithwire story stated that Kirk said...

...that it was important that after this march, it was important to continue our marching orders for God, who is our “commander-in-chief” in the heavenly places. “His executive orders trump all executive orders,” Cameron said, before quoting Micah 6:8.

NCAA changes policy on transgender athletes

There continue to be attempts by biological males to participate in and win convincingly in female athletic events.  Some states, like Alabama, have passed legislation to prevent this practice.  And, now, the governing board of college athletics, the NCAA, has something new to say on the matter.

WORLD Magazine reports that:

Beginning with the 2022 winter championships, transgender athletes will need to document testosterone levels in compliance with their specific sport four weeks before the selection of championship participants. Eighty percent of Olympic athletes compete in collegiate sports first, and this brings the NCAA in line with the International Olympic Committee policy.

The WORLD article notes "College athletes previously only had to be taking hormone therapy to compete with students of the opposite sex."  Perhaps the NCAA was forced to act because the visibility of biological male swimmer Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania, who "was on the men’s team for three years but competed on the women’s team this season. Thomas, a man, broke several records, igniting controversy and calling attention to the NCAA’s policies."

Another WORLD article, from Mary Jackson, quoted from Linda Blade, president of Athletics Alberta and a coach and Team Canada heptathlon competitor, and the co-author of the book, Unsporting: How Trans Activism and Science Denial Are Destroying Sport. Jackson said that Blade "said she was working with multiple international women’s sports groups to form a united consortium to lobby for young female athletes: 'We are trying to organize and say, Who is going to be the female voice at the table?'"

Swimmer Erika Brown was referenced in the WORLD article. A recent ChristianHeadlines.com article stated:

Brown, a Christian, said the issue could be confronted while respecting individuals.

“I want to share something that’s been on my heart regarding what is going on in USA Swimming at the moment,” Brown wrote in an Instagram story, according to SwimSwam.com. “I believe that we are all God’s children, and we are called to love one another. I don’t want to create any hate, only speak up for what is right.

“We cannot allow transgender females to compete against biological women. A biological male goes through male puberty. Even when she has transitioned, she still has the physiology of a male. A few years of testosterone blockers and estrogen doesn’t change the fact that she will have more powerful muscles, a larger heart and greater lung capacity than a biological woman.

Another court ruling against vax mandates

COVID vaccine mandates have become problematic for a number of people of faith, including employees of a variety of religious organizations, some of whom were involved in the case regarding the business mandate from the 6th Circuit that wound up at the U.S. Supreme Court, that struck down the mandate over a week ago.

There have been other challenges to various types of mandates, including the attempt to force federal employees to get the vaccine. Liberty Counsel reported late last week about a ruling out of a federal district court in Texas, stating on its website:

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas has blocked Biden’s shot mandate that required all federal employees to receive the COVID shot or face termination.

In Feds for Medical Freedom v. Biden, Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown granted a preliminary nationwide injunction that covers all federal employees. Judge Brown wrote that the mandate would pose a substantial threat of irreparable harm over the “liberty interests of employees who must choose between violating a mandate of doubtful validity or consenting to an unwanted medical procedure that cannot be undone.”

In describing this mandate, Liberty Counsel noted "3.5 million federal workers were required to undergo vaccination, with no option to get regularly tested instead, unless they secured approved medical or religious exemptions."

And, FoxNews.com reports that federal employees requesting religious exemptions could be entered into an online database.  The story states:

Religious rights groups are calling foul about the databases.

"This is concerning because of the type of data that's being gathered," Ryan Bangert with Alliance Defending Freedom told Fox News.

Bangert is quoted as saying, "This data is being collected on a massive scale, and this is information about citizens' privately held religious beliefs..." The story also notes that, "Some of the databases also collect the vaccination status of all federal employees, not only those who said no for a religious reason." Fox reports that there will be a period during which comments from the public will be solicited prior to the databases becoming active.