Daly Focus Blog
It’s not every day that you find a high-ranking Catholic prelate standing with a bullhorn on the steps of a state capital building, leading the public in prayer for the defense and protection of pre-born life.
But that’s exactly what happened earlier this week as Denver’s Archbishop Samuel Aquila rallied the faithful and denounced Senate Bill 175.
The bill would have enshrined abortion in law and prohibited any incremental pro-life laws from being passed in the state of Colorado.
The first time some people heard of the dangers abortion can pose for the woman was during the court trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell last year.
Kermit Gosnell was ultimately found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar, who died from complications from her abortion.
However, the sad reality is that medical complications and even death can threaten the lives of women who seek abortions – even in centers that submit to state regulations and inspections.
The news came as a shocker to many: British hospitals were incinerating the remains of aborted and miscarried babies to heat their facilities.
How can we not be aghast at this news… at this act committed against these precious little bodies?
As The Telegraph reports, England’s “Department of Health issued an instant ban on the practice which health minister Dr. Dan Poulter branded ‘totally unacceptable.’”
Indeed, it is “totally unacceptable” that parents who had just lost their child weren’t consulted on what they wanted to happen to their babies’ remains.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments for two cases that will have far-reaching implications for our religious freedom: Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius.
I’d like to ask for you to please pray about these cases – but before I go into specific prayer requests, I want to share a bit about why they’re so important.
Both cases have to do with objections the families who own these for-profit companies have to certain requirements found in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
You have to see this new video. It’s a message from 15 people with Down syndrome to a pregnant mom who just received a prenatal diagnosis that the son she carries may have the condition.
In it, these young men and women assure the mom that her son can be happy… that he will be able to do many things… that he will be able to hug her and love her.
It’s a message that, unfortunately, many of these moms and dads reeling from this prenatal diagnosis don’t hear.
It’s one of the most well-known and well-loved Bible verses, the Gospel boiled down to a few words.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son… ” (John 3:16).
At the core of our faith we see a Father’s sacrifice, and we see the second person of the Trinity giving His life for us.
The video I’m sharing with you today echoes these themes. In it, the Vander Woude family shares the deeply moving story of how its patriarch, Thomas S.
In various countries around the world, homosexuals are being beaten and even killed with their governments’ approval.
For example, in Nigeria, a recent law criminalizing homosexuality provides punishments, like whippings, to men who are caught having homosexual relations. The New York Times reports that crowds in the African nation are demanding their local officials to go even further, because local Islamic law requires the penalty for such an act to be death by stoning. In many places these same types of punishments are also meted out for other nonmarital sexual behaviors.
You may have heard the news: abortion rates are at the lowest they’ve been since Roe v. Wade legalized the act in all 50 states 41 years ago.
Two separate sources confirm this statement: the most recent report by Planned Parenthood’s research arm, the Guttmacher Institute, and the government’s Center for Disease Control 2010 report.
It’s actually not a surprise we’re at these “lowest ever” abortion numbers, because we’ve been seeing years of declining trends.
You may have already heard the heartbreaking news: Belgium’s parliament voted in favor of a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit. Experts expect King Philippe to sign the bill into law.
The move comes only 12 years after Belgium legalized euthanasia for adults. It was a fast tumble down the slippery slope.
As Americans, there’s a certain temptation to read news like this and though we gulp and sigh, we think this sort of thing only happens in Europe, not the United States.
History tells us U.S. Supreme Court decisions often have a far-reaching impact on issues we care about – things like life, marriage and religious liberties.
To that end, I wanted to provide you with a list our experts compiled of SCOTUS court cases to watch. I hope this short summary will help you navigate the news.
As always, we encourage Christians to pray for the things that go on in our government. Pray for our Supreme Court justices, that God would grant them wisdom as they hear these cases.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.