RELIGION HEADLINES

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(SRN NEWS) – A federal appeals court has cleared the way for Florida to enforce a ban on so-called “gender-affirming care” for children.  The decision blocks a lower court order against the ban while the matter is appealed.  The law prohibits kids from being prescribed puberty blockers and hormonal treatments, even with their parents’ permission.  At least 26 states have adopted laws restricting or banning puberty blockers and sex-change operations on minors, and most of those states are facing lawsuits from transgender activists.

Some school officials in Oklahoma say they will not comply with a new order that requires that a copy of the Bible be placed in every classroom.  A spokeman for the state education department says the mandate is not optional and that the superintendent has “a wide range of tools to deal with rogue districts” that do not comply.  Meanwhile, other states, including neighboring Texas, are seeing lawmakers advance similar efforts to incorporate the Bible into public education, as it was throughout much of America’s history.

Both sides of the debate over whether to enshrine abortion in Missouri’s constitution have filed last-minute legal challenges hoping to influence how, and if, the proposal goes before voters. Pro-life leaders are suing to take the amendment off November’s ballot.  The abortion-rights campaign is suing Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft for allegedly trying to mislead voters about what the amendment would do.  Courts have until September 10th to make changes to the November ballot.  After that, the language cannot be altered.

Planned Parenthood is challenging Missouri over a new law that kicked the organization out of the Medicaid program. Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers are filing complaints with the state’s Administrative Hearing Commission. At issue is a new measure that would ban Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood. The law aims to make it illegal for Missouri’s Medicaid program to reimburse Planned Parenthood for carrying out abortions on the state’s low-income women.