Paul: GOP Should Hit Democrats on Abortion
(WNS) -Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on April 16 called on Republicans to make abortion a campaign issue in 2016. “We’ve allowed ourselves to be put in boxes,” Paul told a crowd of pro-life activists at the Susan B. Anthony List summit. “Let’s get to the real debate of when life begins.” Paul’s call comes only two-and-a-half years after many blamed the GOP’s 2012 election losses on abortion-related fumbles. The Republican National Committee released an autopsy report that urged the party to drop its emphasis on social issues, and some key Republicans, including 2008 presidential nominee John McCain, agreed. Paul, who officially launched his campaign for president in early April, has embraced the opposite view. Last week, he refused to tell an Associated Press reporter whether he supports abortion exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother until reporters press Democrats to answer abortion questions. “You go back and go ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she’s OK with killing a 7-pound baby that’s just not yet born,” Paul told reporters.
Therapists to Obama: Stay Out of the Counseling Office
(WNS)–President Barack Obama announced his support for a ban on what a White House statement referred to as “conversion therapy” for minors. That catch-all phrase is often used by gay rights activists to describe any therapy designed to help an individual change sexual orientation or unwanted same-sex attraction. The president’s statement left some people feeling abandoned by the leader of their country. David Pickup and Christopher Doyle, both therapists who practice sexual orientation change therapies and identify themselves as people who have changed their own same-sex attractions, told me they had clients distraught over the president’s comments. “When the president came out with this, I had a client sobbing in my office asking, ‘How can the president turn his back on people like me? Does he only care about his liberal agenda?’” Doyle said.
Crystal Cathedral Founder Robert Schuller Dies
(WNS)–The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, known for rousing sermons broadcast around the world on The Hour of Power from the iconic glass Crystal Cathedral in Southern California, has died. He was 88. Schuller began his ministry, part of the Reformed Church in America, in 1955 at a drive-in movie theater. He soared to fame as a megachurch pastor and televangelist during the next few decades. But his empire came crashing down amid family strife and a dwindling congregation in the mid 2000s. The ministry filed for bankruptcy and sold the Crystal Cathedral to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange in 2011. Schuller and his wife quit the ministry’s board in 2012. He was diagnosed with a tumor in his esophagus in 2013. He died at a care facility in Artesia, Calif.
Oklahoma Bans Dismemberment Abortions
(WNS)–Oklahoma is set to become the second state to prohibit late-term, dismemberment abortions. In a 37-4 vote, the Oklahoma Senate passed a bill based on model legislation from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). The House already passed the bill in February by an 84-2 vote. Though Republican Gov. Mary Fallin hasn’t indicated whether she will sign it, she has approved pro-life bills in the past. If the bill becomes law, Oklahoma will join Kansas in banning the late-term abortions. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a similar measure in April.
Denver Bakers Cleared of Bias for Refusing to Make Bible Cakes
(WNS)–Colorado officials rejected discrimination claims filed by a man who was refused service at three bakeries because he requested cakes that included Bible verses calling homosexuality a sin, according to a decision released in early April. Critics of the ruling argue it runs in sharp contrast to a decision in 2014 by the same agency, which declared a Christian baker cannot refuse to make a cake for a gay wedding ceremony. Bill Jack approached three Denver-area bakeries last spring and asked for two cakes, both in the shape of an open Bible. He presented a drawing showing what he wanted on each: “God hates sin—Psalm 45:7” and “Homosexuality is a detestable sin—Leviticus 18:22” on one cake; “God loves sinners” and “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us—Romans 5:8” on the other. All three businesses—Azucar Bakery, Le Sensual Bakery, and Gateaux Pastries—refused to make the cakes. Jack filed three claims of discrimination with the Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD).
Sperm Banks Find Fertile Recruiting Grounds on College Campuses
(WNS)–Male students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando now have another option for college debt reduction—they can sell their future progeny to the sperm bank that just opened next door. Keeping with the ever-growing trend to solicit young college men for sperm donation, Cryos International, the world’s largest sperm bank, this week relocated its main office from New York to Orlando, just yards from one of the largest universities in the country. The company hopes to tap into the lucrative donor opportunities not only offered by UCF, but also near-by Florida Technical College, Valencia College and Seminole State College, according to the Daily Mail. UCF alone enrolls 23,000 new male students per year. Jennifer Lahl, president of the Center for Bioethics and Culture, believes such solicitation preys on students who often have not yet developed the maturity to think ahead.
