In today's News:

National Sanctity of Human Life Day is proclaimed

Ahead of his departure from the White House tomorrow, President Donald Trump Sunday issued a presidential proclamation recognizing this Friday as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. This year marks the fourth year in a row that Trump has recognized National Sanctity of Human Life Day in January. Jan. 22 marks the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling making abortion a national right. The president used the proclamation to speak out against the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade, tout his administration’s accomplishments on behalf of the pro-life movement and call on the American people to respect the sanctity of life. The proclamation praises the activism of the pro-life movement and its advocates, who support policy initiatives that restrict the legality of abortion.

Ban on aborting Down Syndrome abortions proposed

In her Jan. 12 State of the State address, conservative South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced that she is calling on the state Legislature to pass a law that would ban the killing of unborn children by abortion just because they have Down syndrome. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Down syndrome continues to be the most common chromosomal disorder. Each year, about 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome, which is about one in every 700 babies born."

Charges dismissed against church deacon

Thomas More Society attorneys achieved victory for a Moscow, Idaho, church deacon who was wrongly arrested on Sept. 23, 2020, for singing while not wearing a mask at a church-sponsored “Psalm Sing” in the Moscow City Hall parking lot. On Jan. 9, the Idaho District Court signed the order dismissing charges against Gabriel Rench, one of three people arrested among the almost 200 attending the event. The September gathering at which Rench and other churchgoers were arrested was hosted by Christ Church as one of the congregation’s monthly hymn sings. This particular event was held outside City Hall in response to the extension of a restrictive COVID-19-prompted mask mandate imposed by Moscow’s mayor.

Christians make up 88 percent of Congress

The 117th United States Congress is made up of 88 percent Christians, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. In a report called “Faith on the Hill,” the Pew Research Center analyzed the religious affiliations of all members of the 117th Congress and compared them to the religious demographics of the U.S. as a whole. Pew obtained the data from a questionnaire conducted by CQ Roll Call asking members about their religious backgrounds. The publication of the Pew report came just one day after the 117th Congress was sworn into session on Jan. 3. Pew has been analyzing the religious composition of members of Congress since the 111th Congress, which met from 2009 to 2011. While the House of Representatives has 435 members and the Senate has 100 members, two House seats and two Senate seats were either vacant or undecided as of Jan. 4, when the report was published, leaving the number of senators and representatives analyzed at 531.