In today's News:

March for Life last Friday

Last Friday, 50 pro-life leaders marched through Washington, D.C., and concluded their protest at the back of the U.S. Supreme Court. The march was held to remember the more than 60-million children who have been killed by abortion since the 1973 Roe. v. Wade decision, and to demonstrate that pro-life Americans are not going away despite the pro-abortion policies of the Biden administration. Because of COVID, the annual March for Life rally that usually draws tens of thousands of supporters took place virtually this year.

Senate bills to cut off Planned Parenthood

Two new bills before the U.S. Senate would stop taxpayer dollars from funding the billion-dollar abortion industry. On Friday, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee introduced the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act to prohibit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from giving Title X grants to groups like Planned Parenthood that promote and/or provide abortions, Fox 17 WZTV reports. Planned Parenthood receives more than a half-billion taxpayer dollars annually, mostly through Medicaid reimbursements and Title X grants. Former President Donald Trump issued an executive order that defunded Planned Parenthood from Title X, but President Joe Biden reversed it Thursday. Planned Parenthood does about 40 percent of all abortions in the U.S., or about 345,000 a year, according to its annual reports.

Iowa lawmakers to amend state constitution

Lawmakers in Iowa last week passed a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the state constitution which would exclude a “right to abortion” or to public funding for abortion. House Joint Resolution 5 would amend the Iowa state constitution to clarify that it “does not recognize, grant, or secure a right to abortion or require the public funding of abortion.” The amendment is particularly prescient for Iowa, as the state’s Supreme Court found a “right to abortion” in the state’s constitution in 2018. The Iowa Supreme Court in 2018 struck down a 72-hour waiting period for abortion on the grounds that “a woman’s right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy is a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution.” The proposed amendment would nullify the court’s finding.

ILC postpones its annual World Conference

The Board of the Directors for the International Lutheran Council (ILC) met online on Jan. 18 for regularly scheduled meetings. During this time, the board decided to postpone the upcoming ILC World Conference, which had been tentatively scheduled for September 2021, until 2022. The decision comes in response to current challenges in the world related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board considered the possibility of holding the conference online but recognized disparities in internet access across the world could limit the ability of some members to participate in the conference fully. The board continues to discuss what impact the delay may mean for other planned events, including the ILC’s 2022 World Seminaries Conference.