People power preserves unborn babies
Malta
The Maltese government has decided not to legalise abortion after a massive pro-life protest.
Malta is the last outpost in the EU where pre-born children are protected. LifeSiteNews reported that doctors, lawyers, ethicists and judges united to campaign against abortion, along with thousands of ordinary people who signed petitions.
The pro-life Coalition Inti Tista’ Ssalvini stated that the government’s change of course was a direct result of over 25,000 people emailing the Prime Minister, Minister of Health and MPs, and more than 20,000 demonstrating in Valletta.
Doctors, lawyers, ethicists and judges united to campaign against abortion Dr Miriam Sciberras, CEO of the Life Network Foundation, said: “The voice of the people of Malta has been very clear: we are a pro-life nation.”
USA
Web designer wins free speech case
The US Supreme Court has defended a graphic designer who has been fighting for the right not to produce websites for same-sex weddings.
The verdict is being seen as a landmark decision which protects freedom of speech for all Americans.
“The Government can’t force Americans to say things they don’t believe”
Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the majority ruling, stating that the “First Amendment prohibits Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees”.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represented Colorado-based designer Lorie Smith and her business. ADF CEO Kristen Waggoner commented: “The US Supreme Court rightly reaffirmed that the Government can’t force Americans to say things they don’t believe… Disagreement isn’t discrimination… Lorie works with everyone, including clients who identify as LGBT. As the court highlighted, her decisions to create speech always turn on what message is requested, never on who requests it.”
Smith was challenging Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) which threatened her right to design work celebrating biblical marriage.
Mexico
Government makes it a crime to state biological facts
Two Mexican politicians have been convicted for criticising transgender ideology.
Last year Cortés criticised a proposed bill that would criminalise the biblical theology of sexuality as ‘hate speech’
Former congressman Rodrigo Iván Cortés was found guilty of ‘gender-based political violence’ and ‘digital, symbolic, psychological and sexual violence’.
Yet he had not been physically volent. All Cortés did was ‘misgender’ a trans politician on social media.
According to Family Watch Newswire, last year Cortés criticised a proposed bill that would criminalise the biblical theology of sexuality as ‘hate speech’. In doing so, he referred to a trans-identifying politician with a masculine pronoun and as “a man who self-ascribes as a woman”. Cortes is appealing his conviction, supported by the ADF.
Meanwhile, congressman Gabriel Quadri was also convicted of ‘gender-based political violence’ last year for questioning transgender rights. Mexico’s congress is legally required to have an equal number of male and female representatives. After two men who identify as women took the place of two women in the parliament, Quadri asked if this was fair to women. Just asking the question landed him in court.
Germany
Prayer outside abortion centres is OK
In contrast to the UK, Germany has upheld the right to peaceful prayer vigils outside abortion centres.
The country’s highest administrative court has judged that it is legal for pro-life supporters to pray outside clinics. According to the Christian Institute, the decision brings four years of legal battles to a close.
“Our prayers really help, as affected women have told us over and over”
The head of the Pforzheim pro-life group, Pavica Vojnović, said: “I’m truly relieved. Our prayers really help, as affected women have told us over and over. I am grateful that we can continue our prayer vigils. Every human life is precious and deserves protection.”
Parliament rejects two euthanasia bills
Deputies in the Bundestag voted in July against two bills designed to open up euthanasia in Germany.
The first bill was aimed at loosening the legal ban on assisted suicide. A person requesting an end to life would need to have been through counselling and assessment by a psychologist. That bill was rejected with 304 votes in favour, 363 against and 23 abstentions.
The second bill wanted to totally decriminalise euthanasia, provided the person concerned had counselling. This bill was also vetoed, with 287 votes in favour, 375 against and 20 abstentions.
USA
Supreme Court protects right to a Sabbath
The US Supreme Court has judged that a former postal worker was discriminated against for refusing to work on Sundays, the usual Christian Sabbath.
Evangelical Christian Gerald Groff, who believes he should not have been disciplined for his Sabbath observation, received a unanimous vote in his favour from the Supreme Court in June. The decision overruled a lower court which found against Groff, stating that his refusal to work on Sundays “imposed on his co-workers, disrupted the workplace and workflow, and diminished employee morale”.
In contrast, the nation’s highest court ruled that the law “requires an employer that denies a religious accommodation to show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business”.
Alliance Defending Freedom’s John Bursch said: “Federal law protects employees’ ability to live and work according to their religious beliefs… co-worker dislike of religious beliefs or practices is ‘off the table’ for consideration… This standard protects all Americans’ right to live and work in a manner consistent with their faith.”