{"id":243,"date":"2009-11-20T14:52:26","date_gmt":"2009-11-20T14:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/abortion-funding-to-be-continu.html"},"modified":"2009-11-20T14:52:26","modified_gmt":"2009-11-20T14:52:26","slug":"abortion-funding-to-be-continu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/abortion-funding-to-be-continu.html","title":{"rendered":"Abortion Funding …to be continued – Up Next: A God-free Capitol Visitor Center?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The run-up to debate in the Senate on health care and abortion is already producing some interesting comments.  <\/span>The Senate bill offered by Senate Majority Leader Reid does not include any pro-life language like that of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment <\/a>which was approved by the House.  <\/font>In fact, the Reid bill <\/a>mandates federally subsidized abortion and actually requires a monthly abortion fee. <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) says he will offer a pro-life amendment <\/a>to the Senate bill <\/font>with language very similar to the House-passed Stupak-Pitts Amendment.  <\/span>And, Rep. Bart Stupak <\/a>(D-Mich), who’s led the charge to remove abortion funding from health care, says he has the votes necessary to block passage if the Senate version does not include pro-life language.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The full court press is on to discredit the pro-life language in the House-passed bill.  <\/span>Some in the legal community are questioning the constitutionality of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, and one of our senior attorneys has produced a sound rebuttal<\/a> to those flawed arguments. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of debate ahead in the Senate, but at the end of the day we’re hopeful that the Senate will do what a clear majority of the American people want – more than 60% according to the latest CNN poll <\/a><\/font>— prohibit federal funding of abortions in health care.  <\/span>And, yes – millions of Americans – including Catholics – will once again be active expressing their concerns<\/a>.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>Now, Barry, on to another topic I know you enjoy debating – whether the national motto and Pledge of Allegiance – on display in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. – violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That’s exactly what the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) claims.  <\/span>In its ongoing quest to purge all things religious from society, the FFRF has filed a federal lawsuit challenging engravings which include the words “In God We Trust” and “one nation under God” at the recently-completed Capitol Visitor Center.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We’ve just filed an amicus brief <\/a>with a federal district court in Wisconsin on behalf of 50 members of Congress – including Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) who chairs the Congressional Prayer Caucus.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>Once again, the FFRF is trying to create a constitutional crisis that simply doesn’t exist. This lawsuit borders on the frivolous – a waste of judicial resources at a time when those resources are needed in cases involving real threats to American liberties.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It’s also clear that both the national motto and Pledge accurately reflect the historical fact that our nation was founded on a belief in God and that the constitutionality of both is well established in case law. These expressions echo the sentiments found in the Declaration of Independence and recognize the undeniable truth that our freedoms come from God.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>As is the case with many of these troubling lawsuits, there’s a lot riding on the outcome.  <\/span>As we point out in our brief, if this suit is successful “it will undoubtedly embolden further challenges to other religious expressions in government venues, including the several religious works of art and various religious inscriptions in the Capitol Complex, as well as the prayer rooms in House and Senate Office buildings.”<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our brief contends that the First Amendment does not compel the redaction of all references to God just to suit atheistic preferences.  <\/span>“While the First Amendment affords atheists complete freedom to disbelieve, it does not compel the federal judiciary to redact religious references in every area of public life in order to suit atheistic sensibilities,” the brief asserts.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This challenge is another misguided attempt to alter history and purge America of religious references.  <\/span>We’re hopeful it will meet the same fate as other flawed challenges and be rejected by the court.<\/p>\n

<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/font> <\/p>\n

To subscribe to “Lynn v. Sekulow” click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font> <\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The run-up to debate in the Senate on health care and abortion is already producing some interesting comments.  The Senate bill offered by Senate Majority Leader Reid does not include any pro-life language like that of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment which was approved by the House.  In fact, the Reid bill mandates federally subsidized abortion and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,75,217,264,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abortion","category-congress","category-establishment-clause","category-health-care","category-pledge-of-allegiance","category-pro-life-2"],"yoast_head":"\nAbortion Funding ...to be continued - Up Next: A God-free Capitol Visitor Center? - Lynn v. 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Jay Sekulow has also served as a faculty member for the Office of Legal Education at the United States Department of Justice.  As a member of the faculty he instructed Assistant United States Attorneys and investigators in the First Amendment issues associated with prosecution of obscenity. An accomplished and respected judicial advocate, Sekulow has presented oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in numerous cases in defense of constitutional freedoms. Several landmark cases argued by Sekulow before the U.S. Supreme Court have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation.  In the Mergens case, Sekulow cleared the way for public school students to form Bible clubs and religious organizations on their school campuses.  In the Lamb's Chapel case, Sekulow defended the free speech rights of religious groups, ensuring that they be treated equally with respect to the use of public facilities.  And, most recently, in McConnell v. FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/jsekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}