Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Biden Administration to Strengthen Obamacare Contraceptive Mandate in Proposed Rule
posted on January 28, 2023Tami Luhby and Jacqueline Howard of CNN report, “The Biden administration wants to make it easier for women to access birth control at no cost under the Affordable Care Act, reversing Trump-era rules that weakened the law’s contraceptive mandate for employer-provided health insurance plans.” The proposed change would prevent companies from opting out of contraceptive coverage for moral reasons and would make it easier for employees of religious institutions to access birth control. Alexis McGill Johnson, the CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said, “The ACA mandates that health insurance plans cover all forms of birth control without out-of-pocket costs. Now, more than ever, we must protect this fundamental freedom.”
Pope Francis Tests His Personal Power on Trip to DRC and South Sudan
posted on January 28, 2023Chico Harlan and Katharine Houreld of The Washington Post report that Pope Francis is testing his personal power by prioritizing visits to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan – two countries that are emblematic of his papal priorities. They write, “Issues that he has placed at the core of his pontificate — exploitation by external powers, the proliferation of weapons, environmental plundering — are playing out in both countries in devastating fashion, with violence worsening, peace deals teetering.”
Utah Is the First State to Pass a Gender-Affirming Care Ban in 2023
posted on January 28, 2023Jo Yurcaba of NBC News reports, “Utah is the first state to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors this year.” The law prevents transgender minors in the state from accessing puberty-blocking treatment or gender reassignment surgeries. Minors currently receiving treatment, however, will still be allowed to do so. Cathryn Oakley of the Human Rights Campaign said, “Utah legislators capitulated to extremism and fear-mongering, and by doing so, shamelessly put the lives and well-being of young Utahans at risk — young transgender folks who are simply trying to navigate life as their authentic selves.”
Concerns Over Prayer Breakfast Lead Congress to Take It Over
posted on January 28, 2023Gary Fields of the Associated Press reports, “The National Prayer Breakfast, one of the most visible and long-standing events that brings religion and politics together in Washington, is splitting from the private religious group that had overseen it for decades, due to concerns that the gathering had become too divisive.” The event will now be hosted by the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation instead of the International Foundation, a private Christian organization, that previously organized it. Senator Chris Coons, the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, said, “Some questions had been raised about our ability as members of Congress to say that we knew exactly how it was being organized, who was being invited, how it was being funded. Many of us who’d been in leadership roles really couldn’t answer those questions.”
Tyre Nichols Police Beating Video Prompts Faith Leaders to React with Grief, Goals
posted on January 28, 2023Adelle M. Banks of Religion News Service reports, “Religious leaders reacted swiftly — with legislative appeals and collective grief — to the release of video footage of police officers beating Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died days after a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee.” Some faith leaders called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act while others counseled against watching the graphic video of Nichols’ beating. Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, said in a statement, “While we grieve, we cannot give in or give up. Just throwing up our hands in despair is not an option lest we leave a brother, a sister, a sibling on the side of the road again. No, let more Good Samaritans arise so that Tyre Nichols’ death will not be in vain.”
Pope Clarifies Homosexuality and Sin Comments in Note
posted on January 28, 2023Nicole Winfield of the Associated Press reports, “Pope Francis has clarified his recent comments about homosexuality and sin, saying he was merely referring to official Catholic moral teaching that teaches that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin.” Francis, in an interview with AP last week, called laws against homosexuality “unjust.” He continued, “Let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.” Francis later clarified, “I should have said: ‘It is a sin, as is any sexual act outside of marriage.’”
Second Gentleman Emhoff Visits Auschwitz, Part of a Push Against Antisemitism
posted on January 28, 2023Rachel Treisman of NPR reports the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, visited Auschwitz on Holocaust Remembrance Day as part of his trip to Europe to spread awareness about antisemitism. In a joint op-ed with the U.S. special envoy to prevent and monitor antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt, Emhoff wrote, “As we reflect on history, we know that the bigotry that fueled the Holocaust did not end when the camps were liberated. Antisemitism may be considered one of the oldest forms of hatred, but its insidious impact and its deep dangers are not relegated to the past.”
A Volatile Tool Emerges in the Abortion Battle: State Constitutions
posted on January 28, 2023Kate Zernike of The New York Times reports that advocates on both sides of the abortion debate are focusing on state constitutions in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe. Abortion rights advocates are suing to protect the right to abortion based on privacy, due process, and religious freedom provisions in state constitutions. Anti-abortion activists are advancing efforts to amend state constitutions to explicitly exclude abortion rights. John Dinan, a professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University, said, “The terrain has shifted, and it’s not just a matter of we’re turning our attention from federal to state courts, it’s that we’re turning our attention to a whole other range of institutions and opportunities which present their own possibilities but also pitfalls.”
Pope Francis Speaks Out on Homosexuality – And Further Angers Traditionalists
posted on January 28, 2023Paul Elie of The New Yorker reports that traditionalist Catholics are once again criticizing Pope Francis in the wake of comments he made about homosexuality in a recent AP interview. Francis said, in reference to homosexuality, “Let’s make a distinction between sin and crime.” Traditionalists see these comments as the latest step in Francis’ slow path toward accepting homosexuality. Elie writes, “The traditionalists’ surge of enmity against Francis is a consequence of the more open Church that he has called for and has fostered throughout his nearly ten years in office.”
After Supreme Court Ruling, Roe v. Wade at 50 Looks Far Different Than Anniversaries Past
posted on January 24, 2023Brett Samuels and Nathaniel Weixel of The Hill report that abortion activists on both sides of the debate marked the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Sunday with speeches, protests, and calls to action. The annual March for Life, an anti-abortion event usually focused on overturning Roe, struck a celebratory tone this year with organizers lauding the Supreme Court for its decision to strike down the constitutional right to abortion. Anti-abortion advocates are now calling for a national abortion ban while abortion rights activists are focusing on state-level legislative efforts to protect abortion access.