(SRN NEWS) Four of the six Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa and four in Minnesota will shut down in a year. The Midwestern affiliate operating the clinics is blaming a freeze in federal funds, budget cuts proposed in Congress and state restrictions on abortion. The clinics closing in Iowa include the only Planned Parenthood facility […]
Religious News
RELIGION HEADLINES SAT 6-1-25
Audio By Carbonatix
(SRN NEWS) Four of the six Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa and four in Minnesota will shut down in a year. The Midwestern affiliate operating the clinics is blaming a freeze in federal funds, budget cuts proposed in Congress and state restrictions on abortion. The clinics closing in Iowa include the only Planned Parenthood facility in the state that provides surgical abortions. Planned Parenthood officials say they will lay off 66 employees. After the closings, Planned Parenthood North Central States will operate 10 clinics in Minnesota, two in Iowa, two in Nebraska, and one in South Dakota.
( ) Abortion advocates have filed suit against Arizona to unravel several laws regulating abortion in the state. The lawsuit was filed by two providers in the state and the Arizona Medical Association. It comes more than six months after voters enshrined abortion in the state constitution up to fetal viability, which is the point at which an unborn baby can survive outside of the womb. The advocates are seeking to undo laws including those that bar abortions sought based on genetic abnormalities, require informed consent in-person at least 24 hours before the procedure and offer an opportunity to view the ultrasound.
( ) In Venezuela, Evangelical pastors are providing spiritual guidance in slums affected by crime, drug addiction and gangs. But their task has proven challenging amid a 12-year crisis stemming from a drop in oil prices, corruption and government mismanagement. The clergymen encourage gang members to embrace the Gospel and start their lives over. And they frequently provide food, medicine and clothing in communities where basic needs are not fulfilled. Exact numbers are hard to come by but most experts say Evangelical Protestants now number about 12 percent of the population in Venezuela.
( ) Two groups have filed a lawsuit over an executive order by West Virginia Republican Governor Patrick Morrisey granting religious exemptions from required school vaccinations. The American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter and Mountain State Justice filed the lawsuit against the state Department of Health, its Bureau for Public Health and agency leaders on behalf of two parents. The vaccine exemption was among several executive orders issued on Morrisey’s first full day in office in January. Last year, Republican Governor Jim Justice vetoed a less sweeping vaccination bill.