Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.
1. BAD BILL: This bill is really bad
Last week, we shared with you the gruesome news that Planned Parenthood was planning to put $10 million this year into undoing all of the hard pro-life work we’ve been doing in our state. That’s double what they spent in the 2022 election.
It is no small amount. Ten million dollars buys a massive amount of advertising and voter engagement. If you’re curious about what Planned Parenthood is looking to buy in North Carolina through pro-abortion legislators they get elected, look no further than this monstrosity: HB 908, the so-called “Decriminalize Reproductive Health Act.”
This bill is typical of the sort we see pro-abortion legislators propose every year. On the very first day of the short session, bill sponsor Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams and 17 other Democrats made their legislative intentions clear: with HB 908, the issue of abortion is front and center.
The abortion bill is really bad: https://ncvalues.org/this-is-really-bad/
On the topic, also check out this story from USA Today that featured our executive director, Tami Fitzgerald, and abortion in North Carolina: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/04/28/2024-ballot-measures-abortion-travel/73411930007/
2. NC VALUES: Meet our newest team member, Jacob Arthur!
With the start of the short session, our team has been on the ground advancing your pro-life, pro-family, and pro-religious freedom values. This week I’ve been joined by one of our newest team members, and a name and face I wanted to introduce you to.
Meet Jacob Arthur, serving NC Values in government affairs. Since graduating from law school Jacob has operated his own solo practice, focusing on small business law. He has also acted as general counsel/operations officer for a local construction company. His family is extremely active in their local church, where Jacob has been an Adult Sunday School Teacher, ordained as a deacon, and is a past Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Jacob and his wife Lisa, also a Raleigh native, currently make their home in North Raleigh with their four children. We’re now blessed to have him sharing your values with legislators down in the General Assembly.
We hope you join us in giving him a warm welcome!
To learn more about Jacob, and the rest of our growing team, check out ncvalues.org/team/
For an example of the types of issues we’ll be advancing in the legislature, check out this recently published op-ed by our legal counsel, Mary Summa, entitled “Parental notification of name change in school isn’t enough.”
3. YOU’RE INVITED: 2024 Legislative Day of Action on May 15th
Our annual Legislative Day of Action is on May 15th, 2024. We’ll be meeting at 10am in front of the Legislative Building (16 W Jones St., Raleigh, NC).
We could use your help. Our Legislative Day of Action is one of the opportunities we provide to help you share your voice with your representatives. This year, our legislative effort is focused on strengthening parental rights by: 1) restoring parental medical rights, 2) removing obscene books in schools, and 3) adding civil penalties for violation of SB49.
If those issues are important to you, In addition to joining us for our in-person event, would you consider visiting ncvalues.org/parents and signing our petition to strengthen parental rights legislation in North Carolina?
We hope to see you in the capital. If you would like to join us, contact Courtney at [email protected].
Read more: https://ncvalues.org/event/2024-legislative-day-of-action/
4. BLOOMBERG LAW: Some North Carolina Abortion Pill Laws Are Preempted, Judge Says
“North Carolina laws exceeding US Food and Drug Administration limitations on the prescribing of the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone are preempted by federal law, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
However, Judge Catherine Eagles in Greensboro added, state laws ‘that focus more on the practice of medicine and a patient’s informed consent,’ that haven’t been addressed by the FDA, don’t frustrate congressional purpose and are not preempted.
Eagles’ 49-page ruling granted summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff, Dr. Amy Bryant on the former, and in favor of intervening state lawmakers on the latter. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, had sided with Bryant, the judge explained.”
This is unfortunate news.
5. GOOD BILL: NC Senate passes Opportunity Scholarship funding after NC Senate Dems try to slam the brakes
“All 72,000 applicants for Opportunity Scholarships this year are one step closer to securing awards after the North Carolina Senate passed a funding boost for the program on Thursday.
The proposed committee substitute (PCS) for House Bill 828 passed by a party line 28-15 vote after more than an hour of contentious debate. Yesterday, the measure cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee in a similarly feisty meeting. The measure’s next stop is the North Carolina House.”
For more on this story, check out our press release here: https://ncvalues.org/pr-nc-values-applauds-senate-for-voting-to-fully-fund-opportunity-scholarships-for-all-nc-families/
Weekly Prayer: Life
LORD, we recognize that you are Sovereign over all creation. We recognize you made man from the dust, and in your mercy, you crowned creation with man and woman made in your image. What a wonder it is that you would bestow upon us this blessing and responsibility!
LORD, may we not take this blessing for granted. We pray that this great responsibility and dignity may motivate us to love You, our neighbors, and our families more. LORD, may we as a culture truly see and believe that children are a blessing from the LORD—born or unborn; able or disabled. All children should have an opportunity to experience the liberty of life. LORD, make us your vehicle to change our culture into one that cherishes and protects life. Keep at the forefront of our minds our responsibilities to respect, cherish, and serve the youngest and oldest in our society.
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'” (Matthew 18:1-6)
Amen
NC Values
