As someone whose extended family has been significantly impacted by the foster care system, this story out of Illinois was of interest to me personally–but the implications for the over 2,000 children involved and for Christians are profound.

The Chicago Tribune recently reported week that the state of Illinois has acted to sever its longstanding relationship with Catholic Charities. The state has found Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services to be in non-compliance with the state’s new law authorizing civil unions. The Trib reports:

In letters sent last week to Catholic Charities in the dioceses of Peoria, Joliet and Springfield and Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said the state could not accept their signed contracts for the 2012 fiscal year.

Each letter said funding was declined because “your agency has made it clear that it does not intend to comply with the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act,” which the state says requires prospective parents in civil unions to be treated the same as married couples.

Continue reading »

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In 2009, Barack Obama appointed then-Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.  This was a troubling pick for conservatives, given her support for abortion-on-demand and support from abortion giant Planned Parenthood.  As an advocate for federal funding of abortion, abortifacient drugs and embryonic stem cell research, among other things, Sec. Sebelius has justified these concerns.

Yet there is a significant bright side to Sec. Sebelius’ departure from Topeka: Former Senator Sam Brownback, a champion for life, is now Governor of Kansas.  And what a difference that has made.

Yesterday, Gov. Brownback signed legislation that “strictly limits abortions after 22 weeks based on the fact that fetuses can feel pain beginning after the 21st week of pregnancy” and another measure, “the Abortion Reporting Accuracy and Parental Rights Act,” which “requires minors who seek abortions to obtain consent from both parents and places certain prohibitions on late-term and partial birth abortions.”

Kathleen Sebelius would have fought these bills from their introduction.  Sam Brownback not only signed but celebrated them.

To those who say that Christians should withdraw from political engagement and concentrate on private acts of charity or work solely with church or ministry groups, consider Sam Brownback and his allies in the Kansas Legislature.  Were these bills the final word in the battle for life?  No.  They are part of a larger legislative mosaic that is building, gradually but steadily, a culture where the personhood of the unborn child increasingly is being recognized in law and in the American conscience.  For the children whose lives will be saved through these measures, they are nothing less than critical.

Does political engagement bring complete resolution of every problem?  No.  But political action can make a decisive, if incremental, difference in a host of areas — most importantly those involving the sanctity of life, the dignity of marriage, and the centrality of religious liberty to American public life.

Elections matter.  Just ask Sam Brownback.

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Maryland legislators ended their three month session yesterday, April 11^th.  The completion of this year’s session brought the passage of bills that would raise the alcohol tax by three percent, increase the buffer zone between picketers and funerals, provide incentives for facilities that create energy by burning trash and many others.  But more notable than what was passed, is what was not passed.

Same-Sex “Marriage”

Contrary to many predictions that Maryland would soon become the 6^th state to legalize same-sex “marriage,” SB 116, which would accomplish that goal, failed to pass the House of Delegates and was recommitted to the House Judiciary Committee.  This victory came through the dozens of phone calls and letters from those of you who stand for traditional marriage.  Many thanks are due to Derek McCoy, President of the Association of Maryland Families, and their entire staff for the tireless work that was poured into supporting this effort.

This victory for traditional marriage, though huge, is not necessarily a permanent one.  Since the bill was recommitted to committee, and not actually voted upon and failed, it can be brought up again next year at its current stage in the process.  Indeed, Chuck Butler, chairman of Equality Maryland the states’ leading LGBT advocacy organization said:

“So we agreed that if we could not pass the bill this year, we should try again next year.  Importantly, House leadership committed to bringing up the bill again in 2012. To preserve our prospects of success, therefore, it was best not to hold a vote now, given the chances of the bill’s defeat by a wide margin. It would be more difficult, within a year, to convert “no” votes to “yes” than to obtain a “yes” from delegates who had not locked in their position with an actual vote.”

Therefore we must remain ever vigilant on this issue, because homosexual activists certainly will.

“Gender Identity”

Another bill that ended in the “did not pass” category was HB 235, the “gender identity” bill which would prohibit alleged discrimination against a person based upon their gender identity.  The concept of gender identity attempts to legitimize a person’s wish, perception or belief that he or she is actually the opposite sex than his or her own sex at birth. This type of legislation tries to normalize and mainstream transgendered behavior such as cross-dressing.  House Bill 235 was recommitted to the Senate Judicial Proceeding Committee by a vote of 27 to 20.

These two victories in one of the most liberal states in the union are welcome news for everyone who stands for conservative family values!

For a more complete list of legislation that was passed (or failed) in Maryland this legislative session, click here.

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On February 25, 2011, FRC’s Peter Sprigg and Pierre Bynum testified before the Maryland House of Delegates’ Judiciary Committee voicing their opposition to a bill that would redefine marriage.

Click the ‘play’ button below to listen to Pierre Bynum’s testimony.

Click the ‘play’ button below to listen to Peter Sprigg’s testimony.

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The fact that the people of Iowa, when allowed to vote, threw out three of the judges that had overreached their authority by mandating homosexual-marriage on all Iowans, is of great encouragement. Every time the people get to vote on the issue they choose to protect marriage between one man and one woman. Ordinary men and women, mothers and father, know that children have a right to know and be known by their mother and father, and when given the choice they protect marriage.

Rhode Islanders want to have the opportunity to vote on marriage as well. In a public opinion poll conducted in August of this year over 80 percent of eligible voters polled stated they want the marriage issue on the ballot, irrespective of their personal beliefs on the issue. Rhode Islander’s do not believe a small group of legislators, or worse judges, should decide such a crucial issue. We have had the opportunity to vote on ports, casinos, and even changing the name of the State; Rhode Islander’s want to vote on marriage. And this is not new, public opinion polls conducted in June of 2009 and again in December of that year returned very similar results, with well over ¾ of the respondents saying, “Put it on the ballot.”

The National Organization for Marriage – Rhode Island will make every effort to insure that Governor-elect Chafee and the new Assembly hear and follow the voice of the people.

This is particularly crucial given the economic morass that Rhode Island still faces; this is no time to bog down our State government with an issue that impacts less than 5 percent of the population. According to the Providence Journal, October 17, 2010, “For example, projected state budget gaps run above 10 percent through fiscal 2015. For the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2011, the forecast deficit is $320 million, largely because federal stimulus money that has supported the last three budgets is running out. That fiscal 2012 budget is the first one that will be crafted by the governor and General Assembly that take office in January. The projected shortfalls get worse as time goes by. The gaps are $416 million in fiscal year 2013, $457 million in fiscal 2014 and $536 million for fiscal 2015.”

Even Governor-elect Chafee understands the challenge he faces. According to the Journal on November 7, 2010, “A day after Rhode Island voters elected him their next governor, Lincoln D. Chafee stood in front of a bank of reporters in his Warwick campaign headquarters taking questions. “Was this redemption?” one television reporter asked, for losing his 2006 reelection bid to the U.S. Senate? Chafee paused. Then grinned. “To inherit 12-percent unemployment? A $360-million budget deficit?” The crowd, including a dozen campaign workers, chuckled. “I don’t look at it as redemption,” Chafee said. “I like a challenge.”

Governor-elect Chafee and the new Assembly must not bog down the State government with the divisive and grid-locking issue of homosexual-marriage. Instead they should heed the voice of the people who elected them and put the homosexual-marriage question on the ballot.

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On Tuesday evening, July 13, the Board of Trustees of the Helena, Montana public schools was scheduled to hear public comments for the first time on a controversial new sex education curriculum.

Some people who support in principle the idea of sex education in schools may wonder what the fuss is about in Helena. Just so people know how extreme the proposed curriculum is, here are some excerpts—direct quotations from the outline (available on the web—see pp. 45-50):

Kindergarten:

“Introduce basic reproductive body parts (penis, vagina, breast, nipples, testicles, scrotum, uterus)”

Grade 1:

“Understand human beings can love people of the same gender & people of another gender”

Grade 2:

“Understand making fun of people by calling them gay (e.g., ‘homo,’ ‘fag,’ ‘queer’) is disrespectful and hurtful.”

Grade 4:

“Understand sexual harassment is unwanted and uninvited sexual attention such as teasing, touching, or taunting, sexting and is against the law.” [sic]

Grade 5:

“Understand that sexual intercourse includes but is not limited to vaginal, oral, or anal penetration.”

“Understand sexual orientation refers to a person’s physical and/or romantic attraction to an individual of the same and/or different gender, and is part of ones’ [sic] personality.”

Grade 6:

“Understand that sexual intercourse includes but is not limited to vaginal, oral, or anal penetration; using the penis, fingers, tongue or objects.”

“Understand gender identity is different from sexual orientation.”

Grade 7:

“Discuss the Supreme Court decision that has ruled that, to a certain extent, people have the right to make personal decisions concerning sexuality & reproductive health matters, such as abortion, sterilization, and contraception.”

“Discuss state laws governing the age of consent for sexual behaviors.”

“Understand sexual abuse involving touching can include kissing, an abuser touching ‘genitals’ touching the abusers ‘genitals,’ being asked to touch one’s own ‘genitals,’ or engaging in vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse.” [sic]

Grades 9-12:

“Understand erotic images in art reflect society’s views about sexuality & help people understand sexuality.”

One other item in the high school curriculum, listed under “human sexuality” even though it has nothing directly to do with that, is this:

“Understand seeking professional help can be a sign of strength when people are in need of guidance.”

I imagine that after thirteen years of this curriculum, there would be a lot of young people “in need of guidance” and “seeking professional help.”

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If you think legislation on the federal level has gone haywire, take a minute to check out what’s going on in state governments through FRC’s State Legislation Tracker. The present 38 issue “profiles” currently track 7469 bills of concern. A breakdown of the results (listed below) provides a telling glimpse into the “state of the states” and the subsequent health of our nation. That the top five profiles include domestic violence (2146), gambling (1346), divorce reform (827), and pornography (728 total, 325 dedicated to child pornography alone) should be a serious wake-up call for all Americans.

Whether or not current liberals and “progressives” approve, America’s Founders understood from historical perspective that their new government must be rooted in Judeo-Christian tenets. Nothing less resilient and enduring could contribute the ongoing stability required for individuals, families and national industry to flourish in the long term. The following contemporary indicators mandate that we re-examine those pro-family factors that precipitated America’s success, and work aggressively at the state and local level to re-introduce and re-implement them.

Numbers of bills (see here a drill-down on each issue):

• Abortion – Fetal Pain – 5
• Abortion – Parental Notification – 38
• Abortion – Ultrasound Bills – 60
• Abortion Alternatives – Pregnancy Care Centers -18
• Adoption – By Traditional Family – 551
• Adoption – By Unmarried or Same-Sex Couples – 44
• Bathroom Bills – Gender Expression & Same-Sex Issues – 185
• Conscience Regulations – 4
• Cord Blood – 62
• DADT – Military Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ – 13
• DOMA – Defense of Marriage Act – 2
• Domestic Violence – 2146
• Eminent Domain – 1340
• ENDA – Employment Non-Discrimination Act – 3
• Gambling – 1346
• Hate Crimes – 27
• Health Care – States’ Response to Obamacare – 176
• Homeschool – 341
• Human Cloning – 149
• Human Eggs – 8
• Human Trafficking – 255
• Jessica’s Law – 5
• Life Issues – 23
• Marriage – Divorce Reform – 877
• Marriage – Marriage Protection Amendments -12
• Pornography: Child – 325
• Pornography: General – 403
• Public Education: Bullying Bills – General – 28
• Public Education: Bullying Bills – Pro-Homosexual Agenda – 41
• Public Education: Discrimination Free Zones – 1
• Public Education: Sex Education – 7
• Religious Liberty – 29
• Reproductive Health – 9
• Same-Sex Marriage – 493
• Sexual Predators – 60
• Statutory Rape – 69
• Stem Cell Research – Adult – 17
• Stem Cell Research – Embryonic – 37

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