A federal judge in Mississippi has denied a request against the Jackson, Mississippi police department, which has been harassing pro-life Christians.
Police have been targeting Christians who are protesting outside the state’s last abortion facility for harassment.
“[Our] request that pro-life advocates receive injunctive relief from harassment by the City of Jackson, Mississippi Police Department was denied by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi Jackson Division,” wrote Tom Ciesielka of the Life Legal Defense Foundation. “Despite hours of supportive testimony and a long and well documented history of police misconduct, Judge Carlton Reeves denied a preliminary injunction prohibiting the city police from further persecution of peaceful pro-life protesters.”
The police have been arresting the Christians for the most minor of accusations. For example, Christians have been arrested if a sign they were carrying touched the ground, with the police claiming that because it touched the ground they were “obstructing a public sidewalk.”
“We are very concerned about the potential for police mistreatment of our clients as this case awaits its day in court,” added Life Legal Defense Foundation Executive Director and President Dana Cody in response to the court’s denial of a preliminary injunction. “It is very disappointing that the district court did not acknowledge that a police department that is already behaving with impunity might perceive this as an opportunity to continue illegal harassment of private citizens exercising their constitutionally protected freedoms.”
A virulent anti-Christian organization is threatening a Mississippi school district after a pastor delivered a prayer and sermon at a convocation for teachers this month.
The American Humanist Association sent a letter to the superintendent of the Jackson Public School District on Monday claiming they were representing an anonymous teacher who attended the event. The AHA claims the teacher said attendance at the event was mandatory.
The speaker was Pastor Roy Maine, who works as an electrician in the district. He was invited to deliver an opening prayer and he offered words of exhortation during his invocation.
The anti-Christian group says their anonymous client described the event as “one long church service.”
Attorney Monica Miller of the anti-Christian group said that if the school does not bar the use of religious speech at events they could file a lawsuit.
“This letter serves as an official notice of the unconstitutional activity and demands that the school district terminate this and any similar illegal activity immediately. To avoid legal action, we kindly ask that you notify us in writing within two weeks of receipt of this letter setting forth the steps you will take to rectify this constitutional infringement,” Miller wrote.
The school district acknowledged receiving the letter but did not offer a public response to the letter’s content.
A Mississippi law that would have shut down the state last abortion clinic was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court even though it had the same provisions as other states where the constitutionality was upheld.
A three judge panel with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that the law was unconstitutional because it would mean women would need to travel to another state to kill their babies via abortion. That, the court said, would cause an “undue burden” on the women who wanted to end their child’s life.
The court also said the state is “obligated” to uphold the “right” for women to kill their babies via abortion.
The Mississippi law was modeled on a Texas law that requires all abortion clinics to have abortionists with admitting privileges at a local hospital should a complication arise during the procedure. All hospitals in the area of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization had refused to work with the abortionists.
The judge who dissented in the case said states are not required by the Constitution to provide abortion clinics, but rather to ensure the safety of anyone that wanted to operate a clinic within their state.
A tornadic storm system that killed 18 people across Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa Sunday killed an additional 11 people in the deep south on Monday.
Officials say that the storm also left tens of thousands without power from Kentucky through Georgia.
Massive damage was reported in Tupelo, Mississippi when a twister carved a two-mile long path that destroyed all the buildings in its path. Officials estimate the tornado was likely an EF-3 but final determinations will have to be made by the National Weather Service.
Another twister struck Louisville, MS, 90 miles northeast of Jackson, MS. The Winston Medical Center in the city sustained tornado damage and patients in the area have to be triaged on the ground.
States of emergency were put in place for Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit is about to decide if Mississippi will be the first state in the nation that will not have an abortion provider.
The court is considering a 2012 law that would require all abortion clinics that kill more than 10 babies per year via abortion to have physicians that are certified in obstetrics and gynecology and have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
The law was passed in April 2012 but pro-abortionists have been challenging the law in courts since passages. They were able to get a federal judge to issue a preliminary injunction in 2013 saying it was likely unconstitutional because it would close the state’s only clinic.
Governor Phil Bryant said his intent to sign the law was to “make Mississippi abortion free.”
The 5th Circuit is the same court that upheld a Texas law with the same restrictions as the Mississippi law. That law closes all but six clinics in Texas.
The pro-abortionists say they will “fight to the end” to make sure women can kill their babies in Mississippi via abortion.
Mississippi is the latest state to put a restriction on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.
The bill is connected to a medical research study showing that a baby definitively feels pain at the 20th week of gestation, halfway through the length of a full-term pregnancy. The Mississippi law refers specifically to that research as the basis for the bill.
The law provides an exemption after 20 weeks if the woman’s life is in danger or if the baby has significant deformities that it would not survive outside the womb at full term.
“Today is an important day for protecting the unborn and the health and safety of women in Mississippi,” Governor Phil Bryant said in a statement.
Other states passing similar laws are Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Pro-abortionist were critical of the bill saying it did not provide enough exemptions for women such as in the case of incest.
Mississippi legislators have passed a bill that would protect the freedom of religion for Christians and other people of faith.
The law would allow people of faith to challenge state actions that put substantial burden on the free exercise of their religion.
“State action or an action by any person based on state action shall not burden a person’s right to exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability,” reads the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, SB 2681.
The bill passed the house and senate on the same day. The House approved the bill 79-43 while the Senate voted 37-14.
Senator Gary Jackson said that those opposing the bill claiming it would open the door to discrimination were just yelling loudly to try and frighten people because they did not have a good argument to stand in the way of protecting religious freedom.
A Mississippi pastor is giving all credit to God that none of his youth members were killed when the floor beneath them collapsed during a worship service.
The second floor of an activity center at the Freedom Baptist Church in Myrick, Mississippi collapsed last night during a youth worship service. At least 70 students fell through the collapsed floor when it gave way.
“We heard a huge rumble and the floor collapsed and people came with it,” Tori Hodge, 18, told a local newspaper. “Everybody heard it. The floor started crumbling and waving. People started falling through the ceiling, just like you’d see in a movie.”
At least 35 students were injured including one that was taken to the hospital after she struck her head. Emergency personnel said that most of the students suffered cuts and bruises although a few were suspected to have broken bones.
Pastor Tommy Davis said it was only by God’s hand that none of the students were seriously injured or killed.
“God’s hand was certainly taking care of the kids who were in that building,” Pastor Davis told a local newspaper.
The top two made it back-to-back-to-back.
Mississippi and Utah finished first and second for the third consecutive year in Gallup’s annual survey of the most religious states in the United States. The survey has been conducted annually since 2008.
Vermont and its neighboring New England states continue to rank near the bottom.
Mississippi reported that 61 percent of residents classified themselves as “very religious” meaning they consider religion to be an important part of their lives. They also attend a worship service at least once a week, many more than once. Utah is close behind with 60 percent. Alabama was third followed by Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.
Vermont was the least religious with 22 percent of residents saying they were “very religious.” Vermont was followed by New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and western state Oregon.
The poll showed the number of “very religious” Americans was up slightly at 41.4 percent while the number of “nonreligious” fell to 29.4, the lowest of any previous survey.
As temperatures increase for the summer, scientists are noting an increase in ticks infected with Lyme disease. They have also released a study that shows an increase in Lyme disease rates in 21 states.
“There is a lot of different theories of Lyme disease increasing because of warming temperatures,” said Dr. Liza Whalen. Continue reading →
