Commentary Tidbits

Truthdig: Is ‘Christianized Fascism’ the Biggest Threat We Face Under Trump?

The Atlantic: The Atheists Struggling to Find Therapists in the Bible Belt

Forward: Why Would An Anti-Gay Church Picket Yeshiva University? 

SPLC Hatewatch: Texas Chapter of Anti-LGBT Hate Group Mass Resistance Launches, Helmed by Robert Oscar López

Friendly Atheist: An Oklahoma School Had a Christian Sex Educator Speak to Kids, and (Surprise!) It Was a Disaster

Religion News Service: Francis’ clericalism of mercy is perpetuating the sex abuse scandal

New York Times: Suffer the Little Children: Church Cruelty in Ireland 

Aljazeera: Mass graves in Ireland: A long history of Church abuse

The Advocate: The Handmaid's Tale Trailer Calls Out Apathy as a Cause of Its Totalitarian Regime

News Tidbits

Southern Poverty Law Center: Federal court permits Vermont lesbian to sue Liberty Counsel, Mat Staver for role in international kidnapping

Reuters: Come down from pulpit to deal with sexual abuse, Catholic leaders told

Associated Press: Katy Perry says she 'prayed the gay away' as a youth

The Independent: Republican politician says rape and incest part of God's will

Philly*com: Religious groups sue school district over transgender student

Buzzfeed: This Bus Is On A Road Trip To Convince You That Transgender People Aren’t Real

Washington Blade: Kentucky governor signs ‘religious freedom’ bill against LGBT students

Washington Blade: Caribbean pastors ask U.S. to stop promoting LGBT rights abroad

News Tidbits

Daily Beast: ‘Ex-Gay Therapy’ Leader Joseph Nicolosi Dead at 70

ABC News: Undercover at a so-called gay conversion camp

San Diego Gay & Lesbian News: Location of San Diego ex-gay therapy conference revealed: LGBT ally starts protest

On Top Magazine: NOM Urges Trump To Sign Anti-LGBT Executive Order

The Independent: Republican Steve King suggests Muslim children are stopping ‘our civilization’ being restored

Washington Post: The ‘mother and baby home’ at Tuam, Ireland, where friends just ‘disappeared, one after the other’

Irish Examiner: Irish Health Minister Simon Harris: Church must 'pay over and pay up' on sexual abuse redress

Wisconsin Public Radio: Bill Banning Aborted Fetal Tissue Research Resurfaces At State Capitol

Raw Story: ‘I’m not at all sorry’: Woman admits blowing whistle on Josh Duggar to protest family’s anti-LGBT work

News Tidbits

Huffington Post: Trans Pastor To Texas Bathroom Bill Supporters: ‘Stop Using God As An Excuse To Hate People’

Reuters: Amateur historian 'blew open locked doors' by exposing Irish babies' mass grave

Gay Star News: Philippines: LGBT rights are not natural rights says Christian pastor

Pink News: Franklin Graham claims Oscar-winning Moonlight is seducing kids into gay ‘lifestyle choices’

Commentary Tidbits

Roll to Disbelieve: The Gaze of Dead Children Follows Me Today

Rolling Stone: Betsy DeVos' Holy War

The Daily Banter: White Evangelicals Think They're Discriminated Against More Than Blacks, Jews, and Muslims

Human Rights Watch: ‘Gag Rule’ Huge Setback for Women

Clergy Abuse Survivor Resigns from Pontifical Commission

In 2014, Pope Francis established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, an autonomous advisory body meant to "promote the protection of the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults" in the wake of the Catholic Church's clergy sexual abuse scandals. Marie Collins, an Irish clergy abuse survivor, was appointed to serve on the commission that year. On March 1st, Collins announced her resignation from the commission, having grown frustrated with an intractable Vatican Curia.

In a statement posted at the National Catholic Reporter, Collins listed several "stumbling blocks" that impeded the work of the commission, including "lack of resources, inadequate structures around support staff, slowness of forward movement and cultural resistance", as well as "reluctance of some members of the Vatican Curia to implement the recommendations of the Commission despite their approval by the pope." She condemned members of the Vatican Curia for failing to work alongside the commission and implement its recommendations, including its suggestion that Vatican officials respond to all clergy abuse victim correspondence.

"The reluctance of some in the Vatican Curia to implement recommendations or cooperate with the work of a commission when the purpose is to improve the safety of children and vulnerable adults around the world is unacceptable.

Is this reluctance driven by internal politics, fear of change, clericalism which instills a belief that 'they know best' or a closed mindset which sees abuse as an inconvenience or a clinging to old institutional attitudes?

I do not know the answer but it is devastating in 2017 to see that these men still can put other concerns before the safety of children and vulnerable adults.

The last straw for me, on top of the refusal to cooperate on the Safeguarding Guidelines, has been the refusal, by the same dicastery, to implement one of the simplest recommendations the Commission has put forward to date.

Last year at our request, the pope instructed all departments in the Vatican to ensure all correspondence from victims/survivors receives a response. I learned in a letter from this particular dicastery last month that they are refusing to do so.

I find it impossible to listen to public statements about the deep concern in the church for the care of those whose lives have been blighted by abuse, yet to watch privately as a congregation in the Vatican refuses to even acknowledge their letters! It is a reflection of how this whole abuse crisis in the Church has been handled: with fine words in public and contrary actions behind closed doors.

When I accepted my appointment to the Commission in 2014, I said publicly that if I found what was happening behind closed doors was in conflict with what was being said to the public I would not remain. This point has come. I feel I have no choice but to resign if I am to retain my integrity."

In response to Collins resignation letter, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, rejected the idea that the Vatican could reply to every piece of victim correspondence. According to the National Catholic Reporter, Cardinal Muller told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper that it was a "misunderstanding" to assume that his department "could deal with all the dioceses and religious orders in the world." Local clergy should respond to victim correspondence, he explained, claiming that a Vatican response would undermine "the legitimate principle of diocesan autonomy and subsidiarity".

Melanie Jula Sakoda, East Bay Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), expressed the organization's frustration with the Vatican in a March 1st press release.

 "We share Marie Collins’ justifiable frustration with the “shameful resistance” of Vatican officials to changes in procedures that would protect children. Instead, of implementing changes that would have a direct effect on curtailing the abuse crisis, the Curia continues to set up roadblocks.

While we admire Ms. Collins’ generous offer to continue to work with the Vatican to educate Church leaders on abuse, we believe that the clear answer to eradicating this crisis remains outside of the Church hierarchy.  Victims, witnesses and whistle blowers need to continue speaking out publicly, and police, prosecutors and secular authorities need to continue holding Church officials accountable for both criminal conduct and for the cover up of those crimes."

Collins' resignation from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, as well as revelations that Pope Francis reduced church sanctions against sexually abusive priests, is leading many to question how seriously the Vatican is taking clergy abuse. The Catholic Church has had years to implement policies meant to protect children, with no shortage of input from survivors and professionals, but it continues to drag its feet.

Was the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors meant to bring about change, or was its creation all for show? When will the Vatican finally get serious about protecting its congregants and holding clergy perpetrators accountable?

News Tidbits

Associated Press: Victims, Roman Catholic Church spar over New York sex abuse bill

Associated Press: Connecticut lawmakers consider banning conversion therapy

ABC News: Gay conversion therapy advocates heartened by Pence, Republican electoral victories

Reuters: Ireland: Baby remains found at former Church-run home for unmarried mothers

Pink News: Christian bakers battling ‘gay cake’ fine, despite taking $500,000 donations to pay it

LGBTQ Nation: ACLU demands documents to show Trump’s plans for ‘religious’ discrimination

WRAL: Franklin Graham calls for Beauty and the Beast boycott over gay character

News Tidbits

PRRI: Americans’ Double Standard on Religious Violence

Newsweek: The Harrowing Story of Life Inside Alabama's Most Sadistic Christian Bootcamp (Trigger warning)

GQ: Peter Popoff, the Born-Again Scoundrel

LGBTQ Nation: Colorado tries to pass conversion therapy ban for minors again

New York Times: As Funds Invoke Bible Values, Others See Intolerance

Los Angeles Times: Meet Daryle Jenkins, the activist who digs up dirt on the far-right

Associated Press: North Carolina: Ex-congregants reveal years of ungodly abuse  (Trigger warning)

Associated Press: Pope quietly trims sanctions for sex abusers seeking mercy

Washington Post: Antiabortion bills forcing doctors to push ‘junk science’ spread across country

Washington Post: ‘She was demonized’: Nicaraguan woman dies after being thrown into fire in exorcism ritual  (Trigger warning)

News Tidbits

PRRI: Most American Religious Groups Support Same-sex Marriage, Oppose Religiously Based Service Refusals

LGBTQ Nation: Conservative Christian organizations are getting impatient with Trump

The Guardian: Catholic church’s ‘pontifical secret’ stops disclosure of sex abuse allegations, expert says

CNN: Arkansas: New law lets husbands sue to stop wives having abortion

Washington Blade: Trump supporters assault D.C. gay man: report

CBS New York: ‘This Is An Act Of Cowardice': Connecticut Residents Find White Supremacist "Make America White Again" Fliers Near Homes

News Tidbits

Pennlive: Should religious beliefs come before children's health in Pennsylvania?

The Advocate: NOM Pushes Anti-LGBT "Religious Freedom" Order

Buzzfeed: A Leading US Social Conservative Just Launched A Mission To Moscow For The Trump Era

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin fines 22 hospitals over not offering emergency contraception to rape victims

Associated Press: 7 percent of Australian Catholic priests accused of abuse 

Huffington Post: Trump-Era Political Violence Begins As Liberal Activists Are Beaten, Hospitalized (Trigger warning)

News Tidbits

Pacific Daily News: Guam: Church lawyers to challenge law lifting statute of limitations on child sex abuse suits

Georgia Voice: Senate Resolution 105: Georgia Legislature’s first ‘religious freedom’ fight of 2017?

Al*com: Suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore argues ethics charges should be dismissed

Religion News Service: Christian leaders to Trump: We’re praying for you, but ...

Pink News: Conservative group says parents should pull kids out of Boy Scouts after trans ban lifted 

ABC News (Australia): Will the new health watchdog stop gay conversion therapy?

Buzzfeed: Gay Conversion Therapy Has Been Driven Underground, But It’s Still Widespread In Australia

Catholic Leaders Express Solidarity with Refugees and Immigrants

Most of the time, when the Catholic Church warrants mention at Republic of Gilead, it's for negative reasons. This evening, I must begrudgingly give credit where credit is due. Several Catholic leaders are expressing solidarity with refugees and immigrants in the wake of Trump's executive orders increasing deportation forces, mandating the construction of a border wall, and restricting refugee entry into the U.S. Archbishops and service providers across the U.S. are releasing statements criticizing Trump's refugee plans and urging compassion toward refugees.

First, Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, stated that "While I certainly appreciate the importance of vetting to insure the safety of our country, I also believe we must treat those who are most vulnerable with compassion and mercy and with hearts willing to be opened wide in the face of dire human need." In a January 27th press release, Catholic Charities USA affirmed its commitment to assisting immigrants and refugees.

"The Catholic Church in the United States has always assisted refugees and migrants coming to our country, regardless of their country of origin. At the same time, the US has historically opposed those leaders who oppressed or tortured their citizens. How can we now justify closing our borders to their innocent victims?

Catholic Charities will continue to advocate on behalf of people who are poor and marginalized, of all faiths, as our agencies continue to provide them with service, compassion and care."

In a January 27th press release, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration expressed disapproval of the executive order on refugees. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, chairman of the Committee on Migration, had this to say.

"We strongly disagree with the Executive Order's halting refugee admissions. We believe that now more than ever, welcoming newcomers and refugees is an act of love and hope. We will continue to engage the new administration, as we have all administrations for the duration of the current refugee program, now almost forty years. We will work vigorously to ensure that refugees are humanely welcomed in collaboration with Catholic Charities without sacrificing our security or our core values as Americans, and to ensure that families may be reunified with their loved ones.

[...]

Today, more than 65 million people around the world are forcibly displaced from their homes. Given this extraordinary level of suffering, the U.S. Catholic Bishops will redouble their support for, and efforts to protect, all who flee persecution and violence, as just one part of the perennial and global work of the Church in this area of concern."

In a January 29th press release, Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich called this weekend "a dark moment in U.S. history", calling the executive order an affront to both American and Catholic values.

"This weekend proved to be a dark moment in U.S. history. The executive order to turn away refugees and to close our nation to those, particularly Muslims, fleeing violence, oppression and persecution is contrary to both Catholic and American values.  Have we not repeated the disastrous decisions of those in the past who turned away other people fleeing violence, leaving certain ethnicities and religions marginalized and excluded? We Catholics know that history well, for, like others, we have been on the other side of such decisions.

These actions impose a sweeping and immediate halt on migrants and refugees from several countries, people who are suffering, fleeing for their lives. Their design and implementation have been rushed, chaotic, cruel and oblivious to the realities that will produce enduring security for the United States. They have left people holding valid visas and other proper documents detained in our airports, sent back to the places some were fleeing or not allowed to board planes headed here. Only at the eleventh hour did a federal judge intervene to suspend this unjust action."

Cupich reminded readers that barring refugees is already corroding America's values.

"The world is watching as we abandon our commitments to American values. These actions give aid and comfort to those who would destroy our way of life. They lower our estimation in the eyes of the many peoples who want to know America as a defender of human rights and religious liberty, not a nation that targets religious populations and then shuts its doors on them."

In a January 27th press release, Newark Archbishop Cardinal Joseph Tobin urged the federal government to adopt a "prudent" policy for protecting citizens. He slammed Trump's executive orders on immigration as contrary to American values.

"Wednesday’s Executive Actions do not show the United States to be an open and welcoming nation.  They are the opposite of what it means to be an American. 

Closing borders and building walls are not rational acts.  Mass detentions and wholesale deportation benefit no one; such inhuman policies destroy families and communities.

In fact, threatening the so-called “sanctuary cities” with the withdrawal of federal funding for vital services such as healthcare, education and transportation will not reduce immigration.  It only will harm all good people in those communities."

Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron reaffirmed his opposition to discriminatory policies in a January 28th statement, expressing solidarity with immigrants and refugees.

"I wrote to you a little over a year ago to share with you my statement to the priests of our Archdiocese regarding a proposal made during the presidential campaign to restrict Muslim immigration to the United States. At that time, I reaffirmed my commitment to stand with you in opposing any and all unjust discrimination on the basis of religion. Today, I reaffirm that pledge ... Please know that the Catholic community will continue to speak out and care for immigrants and refugees, no matter their religion or their country of origin."

In a January 26th statement, St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda acknowledged the anxiety that many Catholic feel in the wake of Trump's immigration orders. He stressed "the importance of treating our undocumented brothers and sisters with the dignity that is theirs as children of God."

"I know that many in our Archdiocese are experiencing fear and anxiety after President Trump’s recent executive orders implementing his plans to expand and fortify the existing wall between the United States and Mexico, to increase immigration deportation and detention, and to punish cities and counties that choose not to cooperate with federal deportation efforts. This is clearly a moment for continuing our prayers not only for the immigrants and refugees who call our Archdiocese home, but also for our parishes who are discerning ways of responding to this situation and for our government leaders at all levels who are called to work for the common good.

The Catholic bishops of the United States have recognized that this is a moment for comprehensive immigration reform and have repeatedly called for collaboration between the White House and our lawmakers in the House and Senate to work together to this end. While recognizing the right of countries to protect their borders and to regulate immigration in a way that is fair and promotes public safety, the Church has repeatedly underlined the importance of treating our undocumented brothers and sisters with the dignity that is theirs as children of God."

While Catholic leaders seemed pleased with Trump's reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy and Mike Pence's presence at the 2017 March for Life, his anti-immigration and anti-refugee policies ran afoul of service providers and bishops. The Trump administration may soon realize that support from Catholics is far from assured, especially on a range of social issues. Should the administration press forward with even more anti-immigration and anti-refugee plans, it may alienate Catholic communities even more.

Trump's Plans for Immigrants and Refugees Draw Mixed Reactions

President Trump is acting on his anti-immigration campaign promises. According to BBC News and CNN, on January 25th, Trump signed two executive orders boosting border patrol forces, increasing the number of immigration enforcement officers who can carry out deportations, depriving sanctuary cities of federal grant funding, and directing the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. In a move that smacks of scapegoating, Trump's executive orders also mandates that the Department of Homeland Security publish a list of crimes committed by aliens, according to Buzzfeed and the Independent.

Trump's ire also extends to refugees, which will have devastating consequences at a time when refugees are pouring out of Central America, Africa, and the Middle East. According to Reuters, Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would temporarily ban refugees from entering the U.S. and suspend visas for citizens of Syria and six other countries. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has temporarily suspended trips by staff to interview refugees in anticipation of Trump's new refugee policy, two sources told Reuters.

Some immigration-focused voices from the right were delighted. Writing at the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian called the Trump's immigration plans "a resounding success" and was eager to see how the administration would handle "defiant sanctuary cities, greedy employers, leftist lawfare warriors, oleaginous lobbyists". In a blog post at NumbersUSA, Roy Beck observed that Trump's executive orders had addressed six out of ten goals set out in the group's "10 Steps to Fix Our Broken Immigration-Enforcement System". During the January 26th edition of Jay Sekulow Live, Jay Sekulow said that Trump's drafted plans on refugees "makes absolute sense".

In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Samaritan's Purse president Franklin Graham did not see Trump's measures as an affront to Jesus' teachings about welcoming the stranger.

"It’s not a biblical command for the country to let everyone in who wants to come, that’s not a Bible issue ... We want to love people, we want to be kind to people, we want to be considerate, but we have a country and a country should have order and there are laws that relate to immigration and I think we should follow those laws. Because of the dangers we see today in this world, we need to be very careful."

However, other conservative Christian voices frowned on Trump's plans. Groups that were pleased with Trump's reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy expressed disapproval of his plans for immigrants and refugees. For example, in a January 25th press release, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) urged Trump to continue the U.S. refugee resettlement program. The NAE called Trump's reported plans to restrict refugee admission based on religion or national origin "alarming".

"Christians and churches have been welcoming refugees for 2,000 years, and evangelicals are committed to continue this biblical mission. Thousands of U.S. evangelicals and their churches have welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees over the past 40 years through World Relief and other federally approved resettlement agencies. We don’t want to stop now,” NAE President Leith Anderson said.

News reports that the Trump administration plans to make severe cuts to the admission of refugees based on their religion or national origin are alarming. We call on President Trump to declare his support for the continuation of the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which is critical at a time when the world faces a significant refugee crisis.

"While refugees to the United States undergo rigorous screening interviews, background checks and biometrics taking 18-24 months, there have been fewer than 100,000 per year. By comparison, there are over 75 million foreign tourist, business and student visitors to the United States each year — most coming with little or no security screening. Most refugees from the Middle East are women and children who have suffered the assaults of ISIS terrorists and civil war. We have the opportunity to rescue, help and bless some of the world’s most oppressed and vulnerable families,” Anderson said."

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also expressed disappointment in Trump's decisions on immigration. In a January 25th press release, the USCCB accused Trump of "disregard[ing] the judgment of state and local law enforcement on how best to protect their communities". Bishop Joe Vasquez, Chair of the Committee of Migration and Bishop of the Diocese of Austin, was "disheartened" by news of the border wall, which he claimed would make immigrants even more vulnerable.

"I am disheartened that the President has prioritized building a wall on our border with Mexico. This action will put immigrant lives needlessly in harm's way. Construction of such a wall will only make migrants, especially vulnerable women and children, more susceptible to traffickers and smugglers. Additionally, the construction of such a wall destabilizes the many vibrant and beautifully interconnected communities that live peacefully along the border. Instead of building walls, at this time, my brother bishops and I will continue to follow the example of Pope Francis. We will "look to build bridges between people, bridges that allow us to break down the walls of exclusion and exploitation.'"

In regards to the announcement of the planned surge in immigrant detention and deportation forces, Bishop Vasquez added:

"The announced increase in immigrant detention space and immigration enforcement activities is alarming. It will tear families apart and spark fear and panic in communities. While we respect the right of our federal government to control our borders and ensure security for all Americans, we do not believe that a large scale escalation of immigrant detention and intensive increased use of enforcement in immigrant communities is the way to achieve those goals. Instead, we remain firm in our commitment to comprehensive, compassionate, and common-sense reform. We fear that the policies announced today will make it much more difficult for the vulnerable to access protection in our country. Everyday my brother bishops and I witness the harmful effects of immigrant detention in our ministries. We experience the pain of severed families that struggle to maintain a semblance of normal family life. We see traumatized children in our schools and in our churches. The policies announced today will only further upend immigrant families."

These statements serve as reminders that conservative groups do not have a monolithic approach to immigrants and refugees. While more extreme groups among the right may smile upon Trump's executive orders, other conservative groups are calling for a more compassionate and nuanced approach. Will left-leaning activists find common ground with these latter groups and work together on immigration and refugee entry in the days ahead?

To read more, visit the following links.

Washington Post: Trump’s order to ban refugees and immigrants triggers fears across the globe

Christianity Today: Evangelical Experts Oppose Trump’s Plan to Ban Refugees

Trump Resurrects the "Global Gag Rule"

On January 23, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating the Mexico City Policy, also known as the "global gag rule", CNN reports. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the Mexico City Policy forbids NGOs from promoting or performing abortion with non-U.S. funds, lest they lose U.S. global health assistance funds.

Different presidents have embraced or rescinded the Mexico City Policy based on their stance on abortion. The policy was first instituted by the Reagan administration, then upheld during George H. W. Bush's presidency. It was rescinded by President Bill Clinton in 1993, reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001, and rescinded again by President Obama. Now, under President Trump, the "global gag rule" has returned.

Reproductive rights advocates have long criticized the Mexico City Policy for burdening NGO health care providers, infringing on women's right to make informed reproductive decisions, and compelling women to seek out unsafe abortions. Trump's reinstatement of the "global gag rule" is yet another right-wing assault on women's reproductive freedoms.

NARAL Pro-Choice America wasted no time blasting Trump in a January 23rd press release.

"It's telling that one of Trump's first executive actions combines two of his favorite things: silencing anyone who disagrees with him and repressing women. Just two days after the historic Women’s March and one day after the anniversary of the historic decision in Roe v. Wade, Donald Trump's misguided priority is to reinstate the global gag rule, a policy that silences health workers at the expense of their patients. With this action, Donald Trump has turned his anti-women rhetoric into policy, and made it more difficult for women and families all over the world to access vital reproductive care. He really is living up to the lowest of expectations."

Latanya Mapp Frett, executive director of Planned Parenthood Global, accused Trump of jeopardizing women's lives. "President Trump’s actions will have far-reaching impact for women and girls around the world and is a stark warning about what may be in store for women here in America," she wrote in a January 23rd press release.

"By reinstating the global gag rule as one of his first actions in office, Donald Trump has put politics over women’s lives. The global gag rule will cause clinic closures around the world, resulting in more unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion, not less. The world’s most vulnerable women will suffer as a direct result of this policy, which threatens to undermine years of efforts to improve women’s health worldwide. The policy also sends a false message around the world that the U.S. is against abortion rights above all else - a stance with which many Americans disagree.

Politicians should not stand between a woman and her doctor, neither here in the U.S. nor anywhere else in the world.  And U.S. foreign assistance should not be held hostage to politicians’ personal beliefs, as it is under the global gag rule, especially when those beliefs interfere with U.S. values such as promoting human rights, international development, democracy and free speech."

Predictably, the Religious Right was delighted. For example, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins praised Trump in a press release for resurrecting the policy.

"This is a vital step in the journey to make America great again, recognizing and affirming the universal ideal that all human beings have inherent worth and dignity, regardless of their age or nationality.

I thank President Trump for issuing an executive order in keeping with his campaign promise that he will protect taxpayers from having to pay for abortions ... Family Research Council and the pro-life movement looks forward to continuing to work with the Trump administration in bringing about a culture of life in which every child is welcomed into this world and protected under our laws, both here and abroad."

Concerned Women for America president Penny Nance was also jubilant. In a recent press release, she applauded Trump's decision.

"On behalf of CWA’s nearly half a million members and pro-life women across the country, I want to thank President Trump for using one of his first executive orders to keep his promise to defend life.

Thank you for making sure our hard-earned tax dollars aren’t used to fund or promote abortions abroad. America has so much more to offer the world than death.

Over 80 percent of Americans want a ban on taxpayer funding of international abortions. President Trump’s reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy is a powerful first step. We at Concerned Women for America look forward to working with the Trump Administration to ensure taxpayers are no longer forced to pay for abortions, period."

Cardinal Timoth Dolan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, was pleased that Trump took action against the "violent act of abortion".

"We applaud President Trump's action today to restore the Mexico City Policy, which withholds taxpayer funds from foreign non-governmental organizations that promote or perform abortions overseas (often in violation of the host country's own laws). This is a welcome step toward restoring and enforcing important federal policies that respect the most fundamental human right—the right to life—as well as the long-standing, bi-partisan consensus against forcing Americans to participate in the violent act of abortion."

Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser praised Trump for "continuing Ronald Reagan's legacy" and acting on his "pro-life priorities".

"President Trump is continuing Ronald Reagan’s legacy by taking immediate action on day one to stop the promotion of abortion through our tax dollars overseas ... President Trump’s immediate action to promote respect for all human life, including vulnerable unborn children abroad, as well as conscience rights, sends a strong signal about his Administration’s pro-life priorities."

It's going to get worse, folks. The Trump administration has already signaled its animosity toward women's reproductive rights in the U.S. and around the world, and they won't stop with the Mexico City Policy. For example, if H.R.7 (The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017) passes through the House and Senate, I expect Trump to sign it into law. If you care about reproductive freedom, pay attention, and speak out.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

The Atlantic: Trump Strikes at Abortion With a Revived Foreign-Aid Rule

Vox: Trump just reinstated the global gag rule. It won't stop abortion, but it will make it less safe.

Mother Jones: The House Is About to Hand a Big Win to the Anti-Abortion Movement

The Guardian: How the US global gag rule threatens health clinics across Kenya and Uganda

News and Commentary Tidbits: Election Edition

Infidel753: Going nuclear

Rosa Rubicondior: Time For Positive Thinking!

First Draft: We Don't Need to Heal. We Need to Win.

Talking Points Memo: Trump Rolls Out Anti-Semitic Closing Ad

Washington Post: A Catholic priest put an aborted fetus on the altar in an appeal for Donald Trump

Huffington Post: Catholic Church Bulletin Says You’ll Go To Hell If You Vote Democrat

New York Times: The Religious Right’s Trump Schism

Boston Globe: How the religious right embraced Trump and lost its moral authority

News Tidbits

Colorado Springs Gazette:  Leadership diversity a challenge for Colorado Springs evangelical organizations

KTRE 9: Lufkin business owner refuses service to gay couple, explains why in ad

Des Moines Register: ACLU warns Iowa schools about anti-gay Christian group

Metro Weekly: Anti-gay activist writing God-centric government textbooks for public schools

Religion News Service: New Jersey priest suspended for supporting gay groups

Pink News: Church of England vicar suggests gay pride encourages child abuse

News Tidbits

Indianapolis Star: Son had 36 bruises. Mom quoted the Bible as defense

Texas Observer: Signs of God: How a mayor’s campaign to keep a Jesus sign brought discord to a God-fearing East Texas town

KCRA 3: California: Carmichael faith-based hospital denies transgender man hysterectomy

New York Daily News: Queens Democratic candidate wants to erase same-sex couples from school textbooks

Gay Star News: 'Christian Warrior' threatens to kill LGBTI people in chilling Youtube video

Christian Today: Mars Hill racketeering case against Mark Driscoll and former elder dismissed

The Advocate: Clinic offering 'abortion reversal' could open next to New Orleans Planned Parenthood

CBC: Two private schools won't comply with Alberta LGBTQ policy, says pastor

NPR: Catholic Church Groups Fight Bills To Revive Old Sex Abuse Cases

NPR: Latest Religious Liberty Battle: Church-Affiliated Colleges And LGBT Students

News Tidbits

NPR: Clinton: Trump Is 'Taking Hate Groups Mainstream'

Politico: Trump campaign CEO once charged in domestic violence case

Mamba Online: Pastor Steven Anderson’s new secret plans for Johannesburg trip already crumbling

Associated Press: Candidates capitalize on the ever-powerful 'religious vote'

Pennlive: In Pennsylvania House, even prayer practices are proving to be controversial

Christian Today: Mark Driscoll hits out at polygamy and warns it could be legal within two decades

Reuters: 9th Circuit upholds California ban on sexual orientation therapy for minors

Outsports: Lesbian basketball coach sues Catholic school that fired her for marrying her wife

Miami New Times: Miamian Fired for Anointing Desks With Oily Crosses Wasn't Discriminated Against, Judge Rules

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Spiritually manipulated, sexually exploited: A psychiatrist used religion to ply patients for sex   (Trigger warning)

News Tidbits

Salt Lake Tribune: Students: BYU Honor Code leaves LGBT victims of sexual assault vulnerable and alone

The Guardian: 'I'm not a Mormon': fresh 'mass resignation’ over anti-LGBT beliefs

Newsweek: Russian Orthodox Archpriest Opposes Ban on Female Genital Mutilation

Irish Independent: Story of Noah's Ark is proof that climate change does not exist, says Irish TD Danny Healy-Rae

Religion News Service: Doctors at Catholic hospitals may be unable to refer women for services

LGBTQ Nation: NYC Catholic school sidesteps blame for bullied teen’s suicide

Talking Points Memo: Trump Dumps All Over U.S. Intel Community: 'I Won't Use Them'

Associated Press: Pope outlines vision for promoting life, family issues

News Tidbits

Washington Blade: Activists protest Trump, Rubio outside Orlando anti-LGBT conference

Idaho Statesman: Faith healers: Change to Idaho law won’t change our beliefs

Palm Beach Post: Pastor mocks misogyny, challenges any woman to arm wrestle him

ABC News (Australia): Pope Francis 'doubts' sexual abuse case against Cardinal George Pell

Pink News: Archbishops condemn Vice President Joe Biden for officiating same-sex wedding

Religion News Service: Most churchgoers are hearing politics from the pulpit: report

New York Times: Mormons’ Distaste for Donald Trump Puts Utah Up for Grabs

Associated Press: Pastors Sue Illinois Over Gay Conversion Therapy Ban

Buzzfeed: Australian Senator Eric Abetz To Address Anti-Gay Group That Supports Conversion Therapy 

LGBTQ Nation: Due to gaffe, antigay hate group raises thousands of dollars for LGBTQ teen gala

KIRO 7: Controversial former Mars Hill pastor preaches at new home