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.

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1. TEXAS TRIBUNE: Ken Paxton Sues New York Doctor Accused of Prescribing Abortion Pills to Texas Woman

“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing a New York doctor of prescribing abortion drugs to a Texas resident in violation of state law. This lawsuit is the first attempt to test what happens when state abortion laws are at odds with each other. New York has a shield law that protects providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions, which has served as implicit permission for a network of doctors to mail abortion pills into states that have banned the procedure.”

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/13/texas-paxton-abortion-pill-mail-lawsuit/

2. NC VALUES: We respond to Texas Lawsuit Against NY Doctor Who Prescribed Abortion Pills to Texas Resident

“Attorney General Paxton is exactly right: out-of-state abortionists must not be allowed to circumvent state law by prescribing and sending abortion pills in the mail. It is a crime to ship these drugs directly to pregnant women in North Carolina, but the pills are still pouring into our state by mail. North Carolina law needs to be strengthened in order to hold people responsible who are sending illegal and dangerous abortion pills to vulnerable North Carolina women.”

Read more: https://ncvalues.org/pr-nc-values-responds-to-texas-lawsuit-against-ny-doctor-who-prescribed-abortion-pills-to-texas-resident/

3. NCVI: Chiles v. Salazar Amicus Brief Filed

Our 501(c)3 sister organization, the North Carolina Values Institute (ncvi.org) filed an amicus curiae brief in the Chiles v. Salazar case, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to support the counselor’s right to work according to her personal convictions. It also emphasized the inherently religious nature of counseling. Much like Tingley v. Ferguson, this case is about a draconian state law—this time in Colorado—that prohibits licensed counselors from engaging in “sexual orientation change efforts” with minor children.

We invite you to check out the brief for yourself here: https://ncvalues.org/chiles-v-salazar-amicus-brief-2/

You can also check out another pro-values brief NCVI filed in the Sixth Circuit’s important Parents v. Olenthangy case here.

4. FOX NEWS: NCAA President Suggests Onus on Female Athletes to Use Other Facilities if They’re Uncomfortable Sharing One with Trans Players

“NCAA President Charlie Baker sent a message to women’s college athletes who are uncomfortable sharing locker rooms with transgender athletes on Tuesday, putting the responsibility for their own safety squarely on the women themselves. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over legalized sports gambling, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., questioned Baker about the NCAA’s policies that have allowed trans athletes to compete on women’s teams. Hawley confronted Baker about the NCAA policy that states ‘transgender student athletes should be able to use the locker room, shower and toilet facilities in accordance with their gender identity.'”

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ncaa-prez-suggests-onus-female-athletes-use-other-facilities-uncomfortable-sharing-trans-players?intcmp=tw_fnc

5. NORTH STATE JOURNAL: NC Supreme Court Asked to Intervene in Griffin-Riggs Race

“One of the candidates in the contested North Carolina Supreme Court race has asked that court to intervene in that race by blocking protest dismissals issued by the North Carolina State Board of Elections that took place during a Dec. 11 board meeting. Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, who trails by 734 votes in the still uncertified race against Democrat Associate Justice Allison Riggs, filed the request late on Dec. 18 with the state Supreme Court. Two recounts have been conducted in the race: a machine recount and a partial hand-to-eye recount.”

Read more: https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/12/nc-supreme-court-asked-to-intervene-in-griffin-riggs-race/

Weekly Prayer: Freedom

LORD, you have blessed us with a spiritual liberty that is so wonderful and beyond description, that it can only be understood through experiencing a life-giving relationship with Christ. However, we also recognize that in your grace, you have blessed our country with a political liberty that enables us to openly proclaim the experience of a life lived in the freedom of the Gospel.

LORD, as individuals and as a nation, may we never take the inalienable right of religious freedom for granted. Right now our country has faced a rapid increase in the number of attacks made against this cherished right. We have seen groups across our public arena increase in boldness and frequency their smears against religious liberty. They claim it is bigotry, when we know it is the security of the greatest of all possible loves.

Be with your people and our country as it continues to protect the constitutional right protected by our nation’s Founders. Be with legislators and the Supreme Court, as they determine through their actions the protection of this particular and fundamental freedom. 

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)

“Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.” (1 Peter 2:16)

Amen

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values