The 3 - April 9, 2023

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes news of a significant ruling by a federal court judge who has rejected the FDA's approval of the abortion bill, mifepristone.  Also, there are several developments regarding individuals and groups committed to forcefully furthering the transgender agenda.  And, an Alabama university will be revising its speech codes that have been inhibiting free speech, according to a lawsuit; meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court will not be hearing the case of an evangelist wishing to speak publicly on another state campus.

Federal judge halts FDA approval of abortion pill

Chemical abortion now accounts for over half of abortions in America, according to reported statistics, and the use of abortion pills, which not only take the life of a pre-born child, but also present danger to the mothers, has increased since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relaxed restrictions on chemical abortion during the COVID pandemic.

But, a federal judge contends the FDA should have never approved the abortion pill, and a huge ruling was handed down on Friday; Live Action News reported:

District Court Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk ruled today to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, the abortion drug that was approved for use in the United States in 2000. The FDA is likely to appeal the decision. Kacsmaryk gave a week for the order to take effect, giving the Biden administration that time to file an appeal.

The article says that, "The ruling means that mifepristone, the first drug of the abortion pill regimen, no longer has FDA approval and could result in a new FDA review of mifepristone. In anticipation of this ruling, the abortion industry has been planning to move to a misoprostol-only abortion method that carries a high failure rate."

Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit challenging the approval of mifepristone last November, and on its website, it states:

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys argued for this result on behalf of four medical groups and four doctors experienced in caring for pregnant and post-abortive women: the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Pediatricians, the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, and doctors Shaun Jester, Regina Frost-Clark, Tyler Johnson, and George Delgado.

ADF Senior Counsel Erik Baptist stated, “By illegally approving dangerous chemical abortion drugs, the FDA put women and girls in harm’s way, and it’s high time the agency is held accountable for its reckless actions..." He added: “Pregnancy is not an illness, and chemical abortion drugs don’t provide a therapeutic benefit—they can pose serious and life-threatening complications to the mother, in addition to ending a baby’s life. The FDA never had the authority to approve these hazardous drugs or to remove important safeguards. This is a significant victory for the doctors and medical associations we represent and, more importantly, the health and safety of women and girls.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America reported on its website:

In a separate case, State of Washington v. United States Food and Drug Administration, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking any change in the status quo on mifepristone only in the plaintiff states, but declined to issue a nationwide order.

Katie Glenn, State Policy Director for SBA Pro-Life America, stated, "Finally the FDA is being held accountable for its egregious violation of its own rules to fast-track dangerous abortion drugs to market,” adding, “The abortion drug regimen rubber-stamped by the FDA has proven disastrous for women as well as unborn children, with the FDA’s own data showing women have died."

Trans activists seek to shut down dissent

Accept us - or else...that seems to be the rallying cry of transgender activists who have resorted to violence or at least unruly, non-peaceful protest, in order to silence those that disagree with their abhorrent lifestyle. Case in point: according to FoxNews.com, former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was attacked at an event in which she spoke at San Francisco State University. The article says that, "Gaines posted a video to social media showing her being escorted by police after protesters seemingly surrounded her and followed her through a building's hallways while shouting at her."

The article pointed out that, "The incident involving Gaines followed a Supreme Court’s decision to allow a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia to continue competing on her middle school’s girls sports teams while a lawsuit over a state ban continues."

Recently, according to FoxNews.com, on the so-called Transgender Day of Visibility, the Florida House approved legislation that "would restrict the way teachers and students can use preferred pronouns in schools. The legislation also bolsters the ability of concerned parents, students and others to object to instructional materials and school library books." LGBTQ individuals "marched on the Florida Capitol" that day, as activists had done in Kentucky two days prior, when, according to Fox, "state police confirmed 19 people were arrested at the Capitol as large crowds gathered to protest...lawmakers overriding Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of legislation that bans puberty blockers, hormones and gender transition surgeries for children under 18."

 

And...according to the Fox News website:

Two days earlier in Texas, swaths of trans activists stormed the Capitol as the state House was debating a similar bill banning gender transition procedures for children. Protesters chanted "protect trans kids" and lay on the floor in an apparent effort to obstruct those trying to walk by.

Fox pointed out that "The protests came the same week police identified a transgender individual as the shooter responsible for murdering six people, including three 9-year-old children, in Monday's shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville."  Could it be deflection?  Certainly the actions of the Nashville shooter, Audrey Hale, do not paint the LGBTQ cause in a positive light. 

It is curious that protests occurred in numerous state capitols during the same time period.  In Tennessee, a pro-gun control rally that turned unruly, a series of events that contained transgender support elements that were included in original accounts.  Two of the three lawmakers were actually expelled from the Legislature last Friday.  But, consider the intensity of these rallies just after the Nashville shooting - all contribute to what seems to be an effort to direct attention away from the victims and their families in Nashville. 

Plus, the Daily Mail website reports on the troubling case of William Whitworth, who is reportedly "transitioning" from male to female and uses the name, "Lilly." The article says that, "A transgender teen is in custody after authorities say they recovered a manifesto detailing" the teenager's "plan to attack three schools and churches in Colorado just four days after Audrey Hale murdered six people at the Covenant School in Nashville."

Free speech developments at two Alabama universities

The University of Alabama in Huntsville has agreed to abolish its "speech zones" and craft new policies, according to a settlement agreement reached last week. The Alliance Defending Freedom website says that, "the Circuit Court of Madison County entered a consent order Monday stating that the case will be dismissed once the university amends its policy. In addition to abolishing 'speech zones' and the prior permission requirement, the university’s amended policy also eliminates provisions that granted administrators discretion to deny permission to speak based on the viewpoint of the speaker."

Last November, the Alabama Supreme Court had ruled, according to the wording on the website, "that the university’s speech zones as alleged 'plainly' violate Alabama’s law and that 'serious doubt' existed about the legality of the university’s requirement that even a single student seek permission in advance before speaking in the outdoor areas of campus."

There's also the free speech quest involving an evangelist named Rodney Keister of a ministry called Evangelism Mission. The Christian Post reported that:

Keister attempted to preach on a sidewalk at the Tuscaloosa campus of the University of Alabama, but was told by campus police that he needed to have a permit.

Keister filed suit against the university, with a district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit siding with the school. From there, Keister filed his first appeal with the Supreme Court in 2018, only to have the highest court in the land declined to hear arguments.

In 2019, Keister filed an amended civil rights suit against the university, only to have a federal judge rule against him in 2020 and a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit unanimously ruled against him last year.

“As state-funded entities, universities like the University of Alabama are subject to the First Amendment,” ruled the appeals court panel in March 2022.

“Nevertheless, the First Amendment does not guarantee a private speaker's right to speak publicly on all government property.”

The Christian Post article noted that, "The panel concluded that the sidewalk was a 'limited public forum,' which meant an area 'where only particular subjects may be discussed or that only certain groups may use.'”

The U.S. Supreme Court announced last week that it would not hear the case, so the lower court ruling stands.