(SRN NEWS) – A federal judge has ruled that Iowa can continue to restrict instruction on sexual orientation and so-called “gender identity” in schools up through the sixth grade. However, the state will not be able to restrict those topics in nonmandatory programs. U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher (LOCKER) offered a split decision, siding in […]
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RELIGION HEADLINES SAT 5-24-25
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(SRN NEWS) – A federal judge has ruled that Iowa can continue to restrict instruction on sexual orientation and so-called “gender identity” in schools up through the sixth grade. However, the state will not be able to restrict those topics in nonmandatory programs. U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher (LOCKER) offered a split decision, siding in part with the state and in part with an LGBT advocacy organization. Republican majorities in the Iowa House and Senate passed the law in 2023, intending to reinforce age-appropriate education in kindergarten through 12th grades.
( ) A Florida appeals court has ruled that a state law that allows minors to get an abortion without their parents’ consent is unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the Fifth District Court of Appeal found that the state’s judicial waiver law violates parents’ Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process. The judges also cited the state’s parental rights laws, a recent ruling by the Florida Supreme Court and the landmark 2022 U.S. Supreme Court repeal of Roe versus Wade. The case involved a 17-year-old girl who is seeking an abortion without the consent of her father.
( ) A victory for Republicans in the California Assembly. That body has passed a bill that would increase the penalties for sex trafficking 16 and 17-year-olds. Young people ages 16 or 17 were not included in bipartisan legislation on sex trafficking passed last year and the GOP wanted to fix that oversight. However, some Democrats fought the new legislation, saying that it could somehow be used by parents who wanted to break-up interracial or gay relationships amongst their children. Even California Governor Gavin Newsom rejected that argument.
( ) President Trump has done a lot to put faith at the center of his administration. In February, Mr. Trump established the White House Faith Office, led by evangelist Paula White-Cain. Also in February, he established a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The latest entity to be created, the Religious Liberty Commission, has a mandate to recommend policies to protect and “celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism.” Among the commissioners are Catholic bishops, Protestant evangelists, a rabbi and attorneys.