RELIGION HEADLINES

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(SRN NEWS) – A federal judge has ruled that Alabama’s attorney general cannot prosecute people and groups who help women travel to other states to obtain abortions.  U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson sided with an abortion fund and medical providers who sued Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall after he suggested they could face prosecution under anti-conspiracy laws. Thompson’s ruling declared that such prosecutions would violate both the First Amendment and a person’s right to travel.  Marshall has not actually pursued any such prosecutions. 

The Trump administration has launched an investigation into the California Department of Education.  At issue is a policy that allows teachers and staff to hide from parents the fact that a student is living as the opposite sex in class.  The administration says the California rule may violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a law allowing parents to access their child’s records.  Federal officials say they might take away taxpayer funding for the state if they determine that the gender-identity policy violates federal rules. 

The government of Greece wants to ban men from having children via surrogacy if they are single or in a same-sex relationship.  The justice ministry says it needs to eliminate legal ambiguity over the concept of inability to carry a pregnancy.  The proposed change in law will be submitted to the Greek parliament soon as part of broader civil code reform.  Greece legalized gay marriage last year — the first Orthodox Christian-majority country to do so.  The marriage equality act was opposed by the Orthodox Church and conservative groups. 

The federal government has paused nearly 28 million dollars for Planned Parenthood chapters and other organizations that provide abortions.  The Trump administration is investigating whether those groups are complying with the law.  The Department of Health and Human Services has declined to say which laws or executive orders the organizations are being investigated for violating, though it’s being reported that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs are at issue.  Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion business.