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SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (LifeSiteNews) — While other states work to remove pornographic content from public schools and children’s library access, Illinois is moving in the opposite direction, with a new law that will penalize schools for not allowing children unfettered access to such material. HB 2789 “adopt[s] the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights that indicates materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval or, in the alternative, develop a written statement declaring the inherent authority of the library or library system to” assemble a diverse collection of material and “prohibit the practice of banning...

At least two school districts in Pennsylvania saw its teachers undergo training on how to help elementary school children “transition” from one gender identity to the next, according to the Daily Caller. The report claims that, in the years 2019 and 2021, Samantha King, a representative from the Gender and Sexuality Development Program at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP), met with faculty and other employees at the Pennsbury School District and the Council Rock School District. The employee in question gave the teachers instructions on how to aid in a child’s “gender transition,” including one child who was still...

A Lutheran pastor appeared to compare Jesus’ crucifixion with the transgender Nashville school shooter in a sermon delivered just days after the attack. Pastor Micah Louwagie, who leads the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota, delivered a sermon on Palm Sunday discussing Jesus’ crucifixion and how it was “baffling” that “someone’s existence can be so threatening” that they should be killed. Louwagie then claimed that those who point to 28-year-old Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale’s transgender identity as a potential motive for the shooting are calling for the “eradication of trans folks” just like those who called for...

A recent poll showing a decline in traditional American values confirms what conservatives have been saying: the character of America is changing. The percentage of those polled who said patriotism is important dropped from 70 percent 25 years ago, to 38 percent today. While 59 percent said having children was important 25 years ago, now just 30 percent do. And the importance of religion dropped from 62 percent to 39 percent now calling it important. The poll, released in March 2023, was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago and funded by the Wall Street...

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Abortions in Pennsylvania increased 9 percent in the six years between 2016 and 2021, but medical complications from abortions have almost doubled (up 48 percent) in that time. Increased medical complications correlate with a 62 percent increase in Pennsylvania’s chemical abortions—the abortion pill—over that same time. While complications rise from these self-administered chemical abortions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week agreed to expand access to abortion pills through brick-and-mortar and online pharmacies. The pharmacies must apply for a certification to distribute mifepristone, one of the medications used for chemical abortions. With certification, pharmacies will dispense the pill directly...

An "abortion storyteller" claimed that her abortion "was an act of self-love" in a shocking testimony during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on "abortion access." Pro-abortion activists explained why they got abortions, and their reasoning was as disturbing as one can imagine. Sarah Lopez of Jane's Due Process, an "abortion storyteller," stood before the committee and said that getting an abortion was one of the best decisions she has ever made. With no sympathy for the unborn baby, she said that having the procedure was an "act of self-love." Critics were quick to call out the pro-abortionist, calling her a...

If you have accepted God’s calling on your life to serve His people as a shepherd and a leader, then you have my respect. I honor you for your service, and I recognize your sacrifice. Pastoral ministry is anything but easy, and only those who have served as pastoral leaders know the immense pressures you face. You are the one to get the phone call from the shocked parents who just learned that their child was killed in a car accident. You have to bring comforting words at the funeral. You have to answer the questions of, “Where was God?”...

A near-unanimous school board vote Tuesday night struck down a proposal to create an “After School Satan Club” at the Northern York Elementary School. The proposal was initiated by Samantha Groome, a resident of the district. Every board member except Thomas Welch voted against allowing the club to form. “Someone voted in favor, eh?” was the first reaction of Lucien Greaves, the cofounder of the Temple of Satan that created the national After School Satan Club. “It is indicative of a school board that has no idea what its limits are and its function is.” At least 300 people gathered...

A group of right-wing protesters and conspiracy theorists gathered outside Disneyland's entrance in California on Wednesday to rally against "grooming," following weeks of similar rallies against Disney — the latest in a growing culture war trend of conservatives accusing opponents of corrupting children. Prominent republicans and far-right influencers have spent weeks baselessly accusing Disney of grooming children after the company withdrew its support from Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill, which will restrict public school instructors from talking to K-3 students about "sexual identity and gender orientation." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law in late March. Grooming,...

I used to be pro-choice. That was before I had an abortion, experienced serious trauma, and then sat in on a veterinary abortion a few years later. Most abortionists have been taught that the procedure is safe, helpful to women, and that if it’s not legal, women will die in back-alley abortions. Many claim that thousands of lives are saved every year thanks to legal abortion care. In truth, back-alley abortion deaths were rare before Roe v. Wade, and legalizing abortion didn’t prevent Dr. Kermit Gosnell from murdering living babies and endangering the lives of countless women until he was...

A Statement on the Sanctity of Life Orthodox Pro-Life Statement The Orthodox Church has consistently and unequivocally recognized the full humanity of every person beginning at the moment of conception. This position is informed by Scripture and Holy Tradition and is validated by modern science, which confirms that a new, distinct human organism comes into existence at conception. The Orthodox Church is, and always has been, unabashedly pro-life, regarding abortion as the killing of another human being. In recent weeks, this position has been called into question, and, consequently, we, Orthodox Presiding Hierarchs representing several canonical jurisdictions in the United...

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Revelations about the University of Pittsburgh’s fetal tissue research exploded onto headlines last fall with physicians going so far as to suggest the institution may have received organs that were extracted from live fetuses. Others speculated that tissue may have come from abortions that violated federal anti-trafficking law, as well as other ethical standards.In the controversy’s wake, Republican state Rep. Natalie Mihalek, a Pitt alum who sits on the university’s board of trustees, announced a purportedly “independent” investigation into the university’s fetal tissue research, stating that “it is vital that these questions are answered surrounding this.” In doing so, she...

The 49th annual March for Life will take place later this week on Friday, January 21. The days before and after surrounding the event are often a time of fellowship for pro-lifers, from all circles. For Democrats for Life of America (DFLA), this was supposed to mean holding an event for their supporters at Busboys and Poets. The establishment, however, canceled their event when learning that their would-be paying customers hold pro-life views. Kristen Day, the executive director of DFLA, emailed supporters on January 11 to let them know of the cancellation and request donations to help them find another...

In August Gateway Pundit contributor Cassandra Fairbanks broke the story on Dr. Fauci’s use of taxpayer money to torture beagles in barbaric animal testing. Dr. Fauci funded a study in Tunisia where beagle dogs were eaten alive by parasite-infected flies. Dr. Fauci also spent over $16 million in taxpayer funds on disturbing “toxic brain injection” experiments on monkeys in 2018. Dr. Fauci more recently was caught funding gain-of-function research in a Wuhan, China laboratory blamed for the production and leak of the coronavirus. Fauci lied about his funding of the lab under oath numerous times. But Dr. Fauci’s sinister work...

Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from "What to Say When" by Shawn Carney and Steve Karlen.What Not to SayMeaningful conversations, whether they go well or not, leave us thinking later, “I wish I would have said this” or “I wish I would have thought of that.” In such polarizing times, wording is important and saying the wrong thing could derail a conversation--especially when discussing sensitive conversations like abortion. The points we shouldn’t make, that don’t advance the conversation in a grace-filled way, will do the opposite. They can concede ground (without us even realizing it) or convey disrespect...

In a gathering at First Unitarian Church of Dallas, faith leaders with Just Texas announced Wednesday (Aug. 25) that 25 churches had achieved the Reproductive Freedom Congregations designation since first launching the effort in 2016. Another 70 are in process.Clergy members hold hands during the blessing of a Whole Woman's Health clinic in Austin, Texas. Participants included the Rev. Jim Rigby of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, from center left in black; the Rev. Katey Zeh, CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice; and the Rev. Mark Skrabacz, retired from San Gabriel UU Fellowship - Georgetown. Photo courtesy...