Calif. Bill Targeting Catholic Confessions Is Latest Attack on Religious Liberty

A recent wave of revelations of crimes against children by Catholic clergy, most prominently ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, has brought on a much needed national discussion of how to prevent child abuse by clergy and how to better screen candidates for the priesthood. In many cases, these revelations have pushed church institutions and governments to take praiseworthy measures to prevent future atrocities against children. Unfortunately, however, some leaders have taken advantage of a steep decline in popularity of the Catholic Church, as well as public mistrust in its clergy, to forward anti-Catholic agendas. In early March for example, Senator and 2020

Will California Decide the 2020 Democratic Nominee?

California is no longer the shimmering light up ahead in the distance, but the immediate one, as the Golden State is poised to have a larger than usual role in the 2020 election. It has quickly become the most critical victory for candidates in the Democratic primary, and the outcome will impact ballots throughout the country. In 2017, the California legislature shifted the state’s primary date, which previously had been one of the latest, to March 3rd, the earliest possible day for states not part of the traditional early group. California also has an early voting system, which allows  voters

This Week in Economics: 4 Stories You Should Know About

1.) Trump’s FCC Shoots Down California’s “Texting Tax” Proposal. This week, overzealous California regulators saw their hopes of enacting a “Texting Tax” squashed by President Trump’s FCC. The FCC issued a declaratory ruling which found that “text messaging” is an information service, thereby limiting the state’s authority to regulate. Prior to the FCC’s announcement, California regulators were set to vote on an initiative that would have imposed a tax on consumers’ phone bills in order to fund additional government services. California residents should be grateful the FCC saved them from their bloated state governments’ latest tax-and-spend scheme. 2.) Republicans to

California Debates Requiring State Universities to Offer Abortion-Inducing Drugs

California is poised to be the first state in the nation to require abortion-inducing medication be available on campus at each of its public universities. Democrat State Senator Connie M. Leyva is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 320. The legislative digest explains that the bill “would require, on and after January 1, 2022, each public university student health center, as defined, to offer abortion by medication techniques, as specified.” Additionally, the bill would require the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls to oversee the College Student Health Center Sexual and Reproductive Health Preparation Fund, which would be established

High Schoolers Plan Walkout to Protest Abortion, Stand for Life

School walkouts have been growing in popularity as a form of protest among high schoolers. However, students have not typically organized such events to protest abortion — until now. On April 11th, pro-life students in California will be staging a school walkout in an effort to shine a light on abortion and the dignity of life, and they are urging students across the country to join them. The walkout, orchestrated by Rocklin High School student Brandon Gillespie, will involve students leaving their classes at 10 a.m. and remaining out of class for 17 minutes. Gillespie wants this walkout not only

Don’t Build That: Government Threats to Americans’ Property Rights Multiply

This article is part of a series focusing on Lens of Liberty, a project of the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation. The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment forbids that “private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” However, time and time again that clause has not stopped governments from trying to deprive citizens of the use of their property. In her Liberty Minute titled “Good Fences Bad Government,” Helen Krieble talks about one of these such instances which occurred when the government used fencing regulations to deprive a New England farmer of the use of his property: The

Supreme Court to Decide If California Pro-Life Centers Must Promote Abortion

While it begins its final sitting of 2017 this week, the Supreme Court already has many Americans anticipating the hearing of a case the justices just announced they will take up in 2018. Likely to become a high-profile ruling, the outcome of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra will determine if free speech is really free or if it can be dictated by the government. The case centers on the question of whether or not the state of California can force pregnancy resource centers to provide information to patients on access to state-funded abortion services, thereby essentially

Disaster Averted? Calif. Governor Vetoes Bill Aimed at Religious Groups’ Hiring

On Sunday, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed AB 569. The bill, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), would have prohibited faith-based organizations including churches, colleges, non-profit organizations, and pro-life pregnancy centers from having a code of conduct about abortion and sexual behavior. The bill only provided a ministerial exemption for those who are an “employee who leads a religious organization, conducts worship services or important religious ceremonies or rituals, or serves as a messenger or teacher of its faith.” The bill passed the California Assembly in May on a 54 to 17 vote. The California Senate amended the

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