Free Republic

All insurers in Illinois will now be required to cover induced abortions, thanks to a new bill signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. This week, Pritzker held a signing ceremony for the Birth Equity Initiative, which mandates that Illinois-based health insurance, both private and Medicaid, must cover abortion with no co-pays or deductibles. The ceremony came on the heels of neighboring state Iowa’s law protecting nearly all preborn children from abortion taking effect, which lawmakers appeared to present as a reason for the bill’s passage. “Iowa is now the 22nd state in the nation to enact an extreme abortion ban solidifying...

CHANTILLY, Va. -- Capt. John Stratton discusses his role in the new IMAX film "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag." He served as the star of the film. The movie chronicles his experience as he participates in his first Red Flag exercise. The film made its premier Dec. 2 at the National Air and Space Museum here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. James Varhegyi) by Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez Air Force Print News 12/3/2004 - CHANTILLY, Va. -- Civilians and Airmen alike can get breathtaking insight into parts of the Air Force they may not have seen...

World War II veteran Dorothy Constance Stratton wasn't able to attend a March 24 birthday celebration the Coast Guard hosted in her honor at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial here. But Stratton had the perfect excuse. It was her 105th birthday, and the centenarian wasn't able to make the more than 650-mile trip from West Lafayette, Ind. Instead, Stratton sent a videotape full of memories of her years as the first director of the World War II Coast Guard Women's Reserve that was nicknamed, SPARs, an acronym representing the Coast Guard motto, "Semper Paratus – Always Ready."...

“I have concluded that this case was mismanaged if viewed from the perspective of the family and their philosophical views,” Puckett wrote in a prepared statement. “I find it increasingly frustrating, and for me unacceptable, that our society, and more specifically our government, goes out of its way to be inclusive of harmful and often deviant lifestyles, but stands rigid against those families who have a solid Christian lifestyle or are unwilling to accept dependency on the government for subsistence. I hope that in the future the director of Social Services will take a more active role in ensuring that...

A Charlotte couple who has been fighting for nearly two years to regain custody of their 10 children from the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services (DSS) could be thrown in jail if a district court judge finds them to be in contempt of court after a hearing tomorrow. Jack and Kathy Stratton will appear in a Mecklenburg County district courtroom Friday afternoon, Sept. 27, on charges they owe $4.05 in child support payments and failed to produce tax documents verifying their income after a July 12 hearing. Previous attempts by the media to attend some of the Strattons’ hearings...