This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a verdict against 6 pro-life individuals who participated in a peaceful expression of their free speech outside an abortion clinic. Also, strategies are emerging that would abortion amendments from appearing on ballots in several states. And, the Ohio Legislature has completed its override the governor's veto of a bill that would prevent harmful gender change procedures on children and keeps boys out of competing in girls' sports.
Pro-life defendants found guilty of FACE and conspiracy charges
You could say that the punishment doesn't fit the crime and contend that there was no crime at all. It happened in the Nashville suburb of Mt. Juliet. The Daily Wire reported on the conviction of six pro-life individuals who decided to make a statement about the sanctity of life.
The pro-life activists were accused by the Department of Justice of violating the FACE Act and civil rights conspiracy for a protest that took place in a hallway outside of a Mount Juliet abortion provider on March 5, 2021. On that day, a group of demonstrators gathered on the second floor of an office building in the hallway outside the Carafem Health Center Clinic. The group prayed, sang hymns, and urged women showing up to the clinic to not get abortions.The article said: "The conspiracy charge can be punished with up to 10.5 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $260,000 while the FACE Act charge can lead to one year in prison and a $10,000 fine." "FACE" stands for Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances.
Video of the demonstration showed the group singing songs like “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and “Onward Christian Soldiers,” while others showed members of the group talking to police. Another video showed one participant telling another to speak “in love” to a man with his girlfriend who had shown up at Carafem and that someone’s “baby is a gift from God.”
States take steps to block abortion amendments from making it to the ballot
The constitutional amendment passed by Ohio voters in November has been described as "deceptive," and was backed by millions of pro-abortion dollars. It allows abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy, in most cases.
Unfortunately, it takes money - lots of it - to get these amendments passed; and pro-abortion organizations certainly have a propensity to raise it. They have passed pro-abortion amendments in some states and defeated pro-life amendments in others.
This is why the "let the people vote" mantra can be so dangerous regarding ballot reference to constitutional amendments - those crafting the amendments can and will manipulate the public, backed by large amounts of money. You have an elected Legislature that is tasked with dealing with these types of matters
Some states are attempting to prevent these measures from going on the ballot in the first place. Take, for instance, the state of Mississippi, where, according to the Mississippi Today website, the state House of Representatives recently passed a key resolution; the article says:
House Concurrent Resolution 11, which is still several legislative steps from becoming law, would give citizens the ability to gather signatures to propose new state laws or change existing laws, but it bans them from placing an issue on a statewide ballot about abortion
In Florida, there will be a court hearing this Wednesday regarding a proposed ballot measure there. Liberty Counsel states:
The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, beginning at 9 a.m. ET regarding a proposed amendment that would codify unrestricted abortion as a right in the state constitution.
Liberty Counsel represents Florida Voters Against Extremism (FLVAE). We filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court, arguing that the proposed amendment violates the requirement for voter initiatives and should not be permitted on the ballot. Our brief argues that the initiative is misleading and deceptive and violates the single subject rule.
In Nevada, amendment opponents secured a ruling in their favor. The Hill reported:
A judge in Nevada rejected a proposed 2024 ballot initiative that sought to enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state’s constitution.
Siding with a newly established PAC — the Coalition for Parents and Children PAC — which filed a lawsuit last month to block the petition, District Judge James T. Russell deemed the proposed ballot initiative to be too broad, embracing a “multitude of subjects that amount to logrolling.”
“This is probably the clearest case I have seen that I think there is a violation of the single subject rule,” Russell said, according to local outlet KOLO News, which first reported the ruling.
Ohio Senate joins House in overriding governor's veto in case of bill protecting children and preventing boys from competing in girls' sports
After Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio vetoed legislation that would protect children from harmful gender-change procedures and keep boys from competing in girls sports, the Ohio Legislature came together and both chambers overrode the veto.
On its website, Alliance Defending Freedom stated the components of the legislation following the successful veto override in the Senate:
...the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation Act, legislation designed to protect children from the administration of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and identity-driven surgeries. The bill includes the Save Women’s Sports Act, which protects single-sex teams and sports at schools, state institutions of education, and private colleges. The Ohio House of Representatives overrode the governor’s veto earlier this month, so now this bill becomes law...Matt Sharp, Director of the ADF Center for Legislative Advocacy, is quoted as saying: "Biology is clear: There are only two sexes—male and female—and denying this basic truth only hurts the most vulnerable, our precious children. Now and always, young people deserve the loving embrace of family members who guide them toward this truth rather than be subjected to risky, often irreversible, and life-altering experimentation and drugs..."
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