In today’s News:
Twin wins for religious liberty
Religious freedom scored two victories today at The U.S. Supreme Court. In one ruling, government cannot interfere with a religious school’s judgement on who should or should not teach religion classes, according to a 7-2 ruling handed down by the United States Supreme Court. The case concerned two Catholic schools right to select educators who reflect their understanding of their faith, free from government interference. The religious liberty legal firm Becket Law is represented the schools that are facing lawsuits from two teachers fired for unsatisfactory performance. Becket argued that the schools’ hiring and firing decisions fall under a “ministerial exemption,” meaning religious institutions have the right to decide whom they want imparting the faith to others, free from government interference — even when the employees in question, in this case teachers, are not “ministers” in the strictest sense.
Little Sisters of the Poor win
The second win was also a 7-2 ruling, this decision siding with the Little Sisters of the Poor and their bid to stop being forced to distribute abortion-inducing and contraceptive drugs to their employees. The Obama administration had first mandated that employers subsidize the provision of contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs, to their employees under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic institution that provides support for the elderly poor, refused to comply, as did other religious employers, sparking years of litigation.
Millions of PPP dollars to abortion provider
On Monday, the Small Business Administration released the names of more than 650,000 companies that received emergency small business aid due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among them are 43 Planned Parenthood affiliates. Each of these affiliates received at least $150,000 with 16 getting between $1-2 million, 16 getting between $2-5 million, three receiving $5-10 million, and eight receiving $350,000-$1 million. In total, Planned Parenthood received between $65.8 million and $135 million, according to Life Site News. In addition, other pro-abortion organizations received PPP loans as well, including the National Network Of Abortion Providers ($350,000-$1 million), National Abortion Federation ($350,000-$1 million), and NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation ($350 – $1 million). Independently owned abortion businesses also received loan money. The loans were given out as part of the $2.2 trillion cares act paycheck protection program. Companies that received funds were required to use the money to pay their employees while the businesses were closed down. To qualify, companies had to employ fewer than 500 people. Despite this, multiple private equity-backed businesses received loans, which, if used properly, do not have to be repaid.
