Monday, November 23, 2009

CAP: Sex Ed for Teens Debate Continues


Lawsuit Demands that Arizona Offer Insurance for Same-Sex Partners
On Tuesday, national homosexual advocacy group Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit on behalf of some Arizona state employees demanding that the state offer insurance benefits to "domestic partners" of state workers. In 2008, Governor Napolitano bypassed the Legislature and used the administrative rule process to redefine "dependent" to include "domestic partners" for the purposes of the state insurance plan. As part of the solution to the state budget deficit, the Legislature this year restored the original definition of dependent to simply include spouses and children. Lambda is suing Governor Brewer and the Arizona Department of Administration, claiming this standard definition of "dependent" violates the U.S. Constitution. This frivolous lawsuit is based on policy arguments, not on constitutional legal principles. There is no constitutional right to force the state to pay for your so-called partner's health insurance.

National Leaders Release Declaration on Religious Conscience
At a press conference in D.C. today, a group of more than one hundred Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian leaders are issuing the Manhattan Declaration, a powerful statement of the Christian response to three critical issues of our day: sanctity of human life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty.
Senate Moving Toward Healthcare Debate
Stay tuned to what is going on with the healthcare debate at the federal level through our allies: Family Research Council,Citizenlink, and Americans United for Life. There are still major pro-life concerns with the planned healthcare reform, including lack of protection for healthcare workers' rights of conscience, rationing of care for the elderly and those with disabilities, funding "comprehensive" sex education, and, of course, taxpayer funding of abortion. The Senate plans to vote on Saturday.
Former Planned Parenthood Director Wins in Court

A few weeks ago, we told you about the director of a Texas Planned Parenthood clinic who had a change of heart after watching an ultrasound of an abortion being performed. This former director, Abby Johnson, is now becoming a vocal advocate on behalf of life and is reaching out to women through a pro-life organization. Planned Parenthood tried to silence Abby Johnson by filing a lawsuit against her, and our friends at theAlliance Defense Fund defended Abby's right to speak and minister. Fortunately, a judge ruled that Planned Parenthood's claims were not supported by any evidence, and Abby is now free to continue her work on behalf of life.

In Case You Missed It ...

  • First, this column from Dr. Miriam Grossman calls out Planned Parenthood for ignoring the correlation between risky sexual behavior and sexually-transmitted infections.
  • Second, read the front-page story from the Arizona Republic and the economic analysis by Dr. Charles North showing the tremendous savings to Arizona taxpayers from the individual scholarship tax credit program.The findings show why supporting school choice is an all-around winner: the state saves money while parents are empowered to choose the education that best meets their children's needs.

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