Gov’t can force florist to participate in gay ‘wedding’; Christian couple tortured in India...more links

U.S. House votes to overturn Obama regulation forcing states to fund Planned Parenthood    The U.S. House of Representatives voted 230 to 188 today to overturn former President Obama’s "eleventh hour" HHS rule forcing states to give Title X money to organizations that commit abortions.

Title X money comes from the government to fund "family planning services," but technically not abortion.

Before he left office, Obama pushed through an HHS regulation that essentially forces states to give Planned Parenthood Title X funding. Under this rule, states must give Planned Parenthood or abortionists Title X grants and may not choose to redirect those funds to comprehensive healthcare clinics...

ICE: Raid reports fake news, Obama grabbed 350% more    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is pushing back hard on media reports that President Trump has unleashed a mean-spirited national raid on immigrants, noting that it rounded up over 350 percent more during one sweep under former President Obama.

In a series of tweets, ICE called the reports, in the Washington Post and elsewhere, "dangerous and irresponsible."...

Washington Supreme Court: Gov’t can force florist to participate in gay ‘wedding’ ...“This case is about crushing dissent. In a free America, people with differing beliefs must have room to coexist,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kristen Waggoner, who argued before the court together with co-counsel George Ahrend in November of last year. “It’s wrong for the state to force any citizen to support a particular view about marriage or anything else against their will. Freedom of speech and religion aren’t subject to the whim of a majority; they are constitutional guarantees.”...

How an Anglican explained where Catholic parishes are going wrong About six years ago I wrote an article entitled, Why do Catholics become Anglicans?. It recently drew this response from a Canadian reader, sent by email, which I think is interesting, and which I pass on with permission:

“I have recently come across your story that you wrote several years ago about why Catholics become Anglicans. Some of the reasons you listed apply to me. I was brought up Roman but switched over the Anglican Church when I was 19. I have been away from the Catholic Church for over 20 years and was seeking to reconnect with my roots and even go back to Rome...

Apparently, unborn babies are only human when they belong to Beyonce ...Those who are not atheists and idol-worshiping neo-pagans know that, in truth, it is God — not society or celebrity — who grants life to all children from the moment of conception. A life in the womb derives its worth from its relation to Him. All people have an objective and indestructible dignity because He has made it so.

If the exaggerated adulation of Beyonce’s baby bump brought people closer to this view, I would encourage it. But it doesn’t. It takes them further away because it reinforces the view that a child’s mother — and, secondarily, society — has the power to determine whether he possesses value or dignity. And if that mother happens to be Beyonce, well then the child will have more value and dignity than any other. No wonder she thinks she’s god...

India: Christian Couple Who Refused to Deny Christ Forced to Stand in Freezing Pond for 17 Hours  A Christian couple in India was severely punished by being made to stand in frigid water for 17 hours because they refused to deny their Christian faith.

The Christian Post reports that Bartu Urawn and his wife, who both converted to Christianity from their village’s tribal religion, Sarna Dharam, over 10 years ago, were targeted by members of Kubuaa village in the Jharkhand state.

Village members who adhere to Sarna Dharam abducted Urawn and his wife, tied their hands, and forced them to stand neck-deep in the frigid pond water from 5 p.m. through 10 a.m. the next morning. They also forced the couple’s son, Beneswar, to watch his parents endure this torture...