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BOMBSHELL: CATHOLIC HOSPITALS SUBJECT KIDS TO ‘TRANS’ SURGERIES

A bombshell new database published this week revealed that children have been subjected on a limited basis to “transgender” procedures in Catholic hospitals across the country, in violation of Catholic medical ethics. READ

Religious Liberty Law Firm Launches $2 Million Ad Blitz Warning Against Court-Reform Schemes

First Liberty Institute’s campaign includes television, digital ads labeling political left’s court-packing plans as an attempted coup 

Washington, DC— First Liberty Institute today announced that it has launched a television and digital ad blitz as part of the religious liberty law firm’s $2 million campaign to educate on the dangers of current court reform proposals. The campaign includes a challenge for all candidates for office to make clear where they stand on court reform. Ads can be viewed at supremecoup.com.  

“So-called ‘court reform’ is an attempted coup by radical elites to overthrow our judicial system,” Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO, & Chief Counsel to First Liberty said. “These dangerous schemes are nothing more than a brazen power-play by political extremists that threatens the independence of the judiciary and our civil rights. The last thing our country needs right now is a coup on the Supreme Court.” 

The campaign includes ads that will air on Fox News, Tucker Carlson, Glenn Beck, Newsmax BlazeTV, Matt Walsh, and other popular digital platforms.  

In August, First Liberty Institute announced the results of a nationwide poll from Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy revealing 87 percent of Americans believe that an independent judiciary is crucial to our civil liberties and 57 percent believe that Congress forcing ethics reform on the Supreme Court threatens that independence. 

The ads can be viewed at https://supremecoup.com/commercials/.

Pope appoints 21 new cardinals

Pope Francis on Sunday announced the creation of 21 new cardinals. The move will bring the College of Cardinals to 256 members, 141 of whom will be eligible to vote in a papal conclave – a record-breaking number, surpassing the traditional limit of 120 electors. READ

HARRIS’ DISMAL POLLING WITH CATHOLICS MAY SINK HER

Experts warn that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ chances of winning the White House next month may be undermined by her projected poor performance among Catholic voters. “Kamala’s definitely been impacted negatively by a lack of support from Catholic voters,” said Catholic political strategist Ryan Girdusky. “They are the largest single church in America, the Catholic vote will help decide the presidency.” READ

FSSP gets apostolic visitation from the Vatican

The FSSP is an international community of priests which celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass. Pope Francis’ reign has been marked by a series of disciplinary actions against conservative clergy, and by restrictions of the Latin Mass.

 (LifeSiteNews) — The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) has been informed that it will receive an apostolic visitation from the Vatican.

The FSSP is an international community of priests, under the authority of the Holy See, which celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass in churches around the world.

Pope Francis’ reign has been marked by a series of disciplinary actions against traditional and conservative clergy, and by introducing significant restrictions of the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

In November 2023 Bishop Joseph Strickland was personally removed from his diocese by Pope Francis following an apostolic visitation. Shortly afterwards Strickland revealed that one of the reasons for his removal was his refusal to cancel the Latin Mass in the diocese of Tyler, Texas.

In a communique published earlier this week the FSSP announced the news of their visitation, adding that they have been informed by Vatican authorities that “this visit does not originate in any problems of the Fraternity.”

The visitation will be conducted by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which has been in charge of the FSSP and similar priestly institutes for the past three years.

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) has recently been informed by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life of the opening of an apostolic visitation of the Fraternity. As the Prefect of this Dicastery himself made clear to the Superior General and his assistants during a meeting in Rome, this visit does not originate in any problems of the Fraternity, but is intended to enable the Dicastery to know who we are, how we are doing and how we live, so as to provide us with any help we may need.

The last ordinary apostolic visit of the Fraternity was undertaken in 2014 by the Ecclesia Dei Commission. As the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has been in charge of the FSSP and other former Eccelsia Dei institutes for the past three years, it now the competency of this Dicastery to look after the FSSP.

Did Pope Francis Say ALL Religions are EQUAL?

Doctors Say Kamala Harris is Wrong: Pro-Life Laws Didn’t Kill Women, Abortions Did

 "A young mother from Georgia should be alive today, raising her son and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school. This is exactly what we feared when Roe v. Wade was struck down. In more than 20 states, Trump Abortion Bans prevent doctors from providing basic medical care,” the vice president claimed, blaming former President Donald Trump for the spate of pro-life laws that have sprung up across the country in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

She continued, “Women are bleeding out in parking lots, turned away from emergency rooms, losing their ability to ever have children again. Survivors of rape and incest are being told they cannot make decisions about what happens next to their bodies. And now women are dying.” Harris concluded, “We must pass a law to restore reproductive freedom. When I am President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. Lives depend on it.”

Mainstream media outlets quickly repeated Harris’s narrative. MSNBC declared, “Georgia’s ‘pro-life’ abortion ban literally killed a woman — and she won’t be the last,” adding, “If the Christian right had not had its way at the Supreme Court, Amber Nicole Thurman would be alive today. She would have been able to get the medical care she needed in 2022.” The news outlet continued, “Instead, the 28-year-old died a completely avoidable death in a Georgia hospital because the doctors treating her were terrified of committing a felony under the state’s abortion ban.”

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Citing a report by the left-wing Pro Publica journal, MSNBC explained that Thurman scheduled an appointment at an out-of-state abortion facility in order to circumvent Georgia’s pro-life laws and, when she missed the appointment, took abortion pills to end the lives of the twins she was carrying. She developed sepsis as a result, even though MSNBC noted that such cases “are exceedingly rare.” Candi Miller also took abortion pills and, incorrectly believing that Georgia’s pro-life protections outlawed treatment of the sepsis she developed, did not seek medical care.

In response to Harris’s claims, Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OB/GYNs (AAPLOG), called out the vice president’s pro-abortion assertions. “I agree with the Vice President that their deaths were 100% preventable,” Francis began, referring to Thurman and Miller. She continued, “However, their deaths were not the result of Georgia’s abortion law. No pro-life law in the country prevents OB/GYNs like me from intervening when a woman is facing a potentially life-threatening complication of her pregnancy. They do not have to be knocking on death’s door before we can intervene.” Francis added, “Madam Vice President: Stop lying to my patients! Your lies are harming women and they’re harming physicians!”

On Thursday, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harris repeated her pro-abortion claims, saying that pro-life laws “criminalize health care providers.” Responding to a question about exceptions to save the life of a mother, Harris asked, “Is she on death’s door before you actually decide to give her help? … Like, literally a doctor or a nurse has to say, ‘She might die any minute, better give her now [sic] care, because otherwise I might go to prison, for life in some cases.’”

Francis rebutted, “Dangerous lies about abortion drugs and state abortion laws are killing women.” She continued, “There’s not a single state law in this country that prosecutes women who have had abortions, and there’s not a single state law in the entire country that prevents doctors like me from intervening to manage complications, especially complications that we see routinely after women take abortion drugs.” Francis noted, “Candi and Amber … both suffered severe complications from abortion drugs that potentially led to their death. It’s important for women to understand that these drugs carry inherent risks and the way they’re being dispensed online now, because of the FDA’s reckless actions in removing medical supervision, is especially dangerous.” The pro-life OB/GYN reiterated, “It’s time for these lies to stop. Stop putting a political agenda ahead of women’s health!”

Another OB/GYN, Dr. Greg Marchand, also called out Harris for lying. “I’m an OBGYN,” he said. “There are no states where a woman must be on death’s door. In all 50 states an OBGYN can terminate a pregnancy whenever THEY deem a woman’s health is in danger. This is just a lie.”

“No law protecting unborn children in this country prevents physicians from taking action to save the life of that child’s mother,” said Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, in comments to The Washington Stand. “Kamala Harris is right to grieve the loss of the lives of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, but in spreading the lie that pro-life laws caused their death, Kamala Harris is ensuring that more women will die.” She went on to note that Harris “is ensuring that physicians are confused as to whether or not they can treat a woman who is septic after an abortion and needs a D&C — after all, the Vice President of the United States has said that the law prevents them from caring for those women.”

“She is ensuring that moms who are in need of treatment are wondering whether or not they can get it. And she is lying. Kamala Harris has to stop. Her lies are hurting mothers who are in pain and desperately need actual health care so that they can live,” Szoch continued. “These women are not political pawns to be used to win an election or score points in a debate — their lives matter, and Kamala Harris has to stop endangering them. Pro-lifers must continue to educate those around us that no law protecting an unborn child endangers or does not allow care for that child’s mother.”

This week on Faith On Trial

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America First Legal Sues Colorado School District for Illegally Retaliating Against School Leader After He Expressed His Views on Race During a Mandatory Diversity Training Session

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against the Cherry Creek School District and its senior administrative officials for violating the First Amendment by retaliating against an employee by eliminating his position after he expressed his personal views on race during a mandatory diversity training session. 

AFL’s client is a seasoned educator who served as the Dean of Students at Campus Middle School in Cherry Creek School District in Colorado from 2021 to 2024. This year, the school district pressured him to embrace race-based ideologies and punished him when he refused to comply. 

In January, AFL’s client participated in a district-mandated training program on race and equity run by Pacific Educational Group (PEG) called “Courageous Conversations.” 

AFL previously released documents obtained through separate litigation in Pennsylvania in 2022 that showed that “Courageous Conversations” sought to implement critical race theory to transform school leadership and force white staff members to recognize the problem of their “whiteness.” These documents included slides used in “Courageous Conversations” training that centered around race-based concepts from “What is Whiteness?” to “What does it mean to be white?” and “Understanding whiteness in a white context.” 

At the beginning of the “Courageous Conversations” training that AFL’s client attended this year, program facilitators assured participants that all comments would remain confidential and would not impact employment status. During a training breakout session, participants were asked to discuss questions such as “What does it mean to be white?” and “How do you identify?” AFL’s client responded by stating he identifies as an American and believes the United States is the greatest country in the world. 

Immediately following the training, the district’s Equity Director reported AFL’s client’s comments to the school’s principal as having “racist undertones.” 

Despite assurances from the school’s principal that his statements would not result in adverse employment actions, the district informed AFL’s client in March that his position was being eliminated. 

The district cited “budgetary reasons” for eliminating his position—a justification contradictory to its records, which show an increase in staffing allocations for the 2024-2025 school year. Further, when AFL’s client spoke to district officials and expressed that he did not believe their justification for eliminating his position, they placed him on administrative leave for “unprofessional conduct.” 

AFL is committed to protecting the right of every American to speak freely, without fear of retaliation, and combating the divisive, race-based indoctrination in our nation’s education systems. 

Statement from Ian Prior, America First Legal Senior Advisor: 

“As alleged in the complaint, Cherry Creek School District blatantly violated the First Amendment rights of our client when they terminated him because his pride in the United States of America did not align with the district’s political ideology that America is a systemically racist nation. Like other school districts across the country, Cherry Creek has replaced the Bill of Rights with the ‘DEI Manifesto,’ and teachers, students, and parents are being silenced for standing up for the values that make America great. We are proud to stand up for all teachers across America who are being unfairly persecuted for daring to challenge a government-sponsored orthodoxy that teaches hatred of America and seeks to marginalize people based on their viewpoints and the color of their skin, ” said Ian Prior. 

The parties named in this lawsuit are the Cherry Creek School District, the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education, President of Cherry Creek School District Board of Education Angela Garland, Superintendent of Cherry Creek School District Christopher Smith, Director of Middle Schools for Cherry Creek School District Angie Zehner, Director of Human Resources for Cherry Creek School District Courtney Smith, Principal of Campus Middle School Lissa Staal, and Executive Director of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement for Cherry Creek School District Ronald Garcia y Ortiz. 

Read the complaint here. 

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Federal Judge Blocks NY Attorney General Letitia James from Censoring Pregnancy Help Ministries

Court Rules Two New York Pregnancy Help Organizations are Free to Promote Abortion Pill Reversal

  

Buffalo, New York – On September 24, 2024, a federal judge ruled that two New York pregnancy help organizations are free to continue sharing information about Abortion Pill Reversal and issued a preliminary injunction blocking New York Attorney General Letitia James from silencing the constitutionally protected speech of these pro-life ministries while their lawsuit moves forward.

 

In August 2024, Thomas More Society attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against Attorney General James on behalf of Summit Life Outreach Center and The Evergreen Association, outlining how James’ threats, prosecution, and intimidation of New York’s pregnancy help organizations violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. The lawsuit argued that James’ targeting of pregnancy help organizations with threats and prosecution unconstitutionally chills their speech about the safety and efficacy of Abortion Pill Reversal.

The preliminary injunction order was agreed to by the attorney general’s office based on the district court’s ruling in a related case, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. James. The court order protects Summit and Evergreen in their sharing of information about Abortion Pill Reversal—a protocol that can reverse the effects of the first abortion pill if a woman changes her mind. In a separate but related New York state court case, Thomas More Society is representing Heartbeat International and a collective of New York pro-life pregnancy help organizations that have been sued by James for promoting Abortion Pill Reversal.

Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation, stated: “This injunction marks a critical victory for New York’s pregnancy help organizations and another blow to Letitia James’ unconstitutional witch-hunt against pro-life ministries. These small nonprofits, which exist to compassionately serve women and offer them alternatives to abortion, deserve to have their speech elevated—not chilled. This court order makes clear Ms. James cannot censor pro-life speech purely because she dislikes it. We are hopeful that this injunction will buttress our case in New York state court, where we proudly continue to defend the host of pregnancy help organizations unjustly targeted and sued by Ms. James as part of her unconstitutional campaign to silence pro-life ministries. These pro-life ministries have a constitutional right to share information about Abortion Pill Reversal, and their message is saving thousands of lives.”

Barbara Bidak, Executive Director of Summit Life Outreach Center & Thomas More Society client, reacted: “Our staff and volunteers at Summit Life Outreach Center work tirelessly to provide life-affirming options for women in need. We're incredibly pleased a federal judge has now made clear that Attorney General Letitia James’ legal attacks on our state's pro-life ministries unconstitutionally chills our First Amendment right to share the lifesaving message of Abortion Pill Reversal—which gives pregnant moms in the middle of a chemical abortion a second chance to choose life. We are grateful to Thomas More Society for stepping in to defend our rights and pressing this case in federal court.”

Read the Order Staying Consolidated Case with Preliminary Injunction, issued September 24, 2024, in Summit Life Outreach Center, et al. v. Letitia James, by U.S. District Court Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, here.

 

Read background on Summit Life Outreach Center, et al. v. Letitia James on the Thomas More Society case page, here.

 

About Thomas More Society

Thomas More Society is a national not-for-profit law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, and freedom. Headquartered in Chicago and with offices across the country, Thomas More Society fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. For more information, please visit thomasm

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