WORLD NEWS FLASH by Kristopher Seals
FIGHTING THE TEXAS ABORTION LAW: United States
New Jersey’s Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck announced that his state has joined a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the federal Department of Justice’s (DOJ) challenge to a Texas law that effectively bans most abortions in the state.
Specifically, the brief asks the nation’s highest court to find that a federal judge’s October 6 injunction temporarily halting enforcement of the Texas law was proper, and that a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling staying that injunction on October 14 was incorrect.
Among other things, the amicus brief argues that Texas’s abortion law clearly violates the constitutional right to an abortion prior to viability – a Fourteenth Amendment right long recognized by the Supreme Court and cemented by “nearly a half century of binding precedent.”
“S.B. 8 is a clear and present danger to the bodily autonomy of women and their right to privacy,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Acting Attorney General Bruck’s announcement is a welcome development. We will fight this misguided, offensive, and reckless assault on abortion services and women’s health and we will not rest until the right to choose is no longer under threat.”
In announcing the Supreme Court filing by a coalition of 24 Attorneys General, Acting Attorney General Bruck contrasted the manner in which Texas lawmakers have stripped Texas residents of a right long protected by legal precedent with New Jersey’s own recent actions. Indeed, the Acting Attorney General announced that the state Board of Medical Examiners had voted unanimously to adopt new rules eliminating medically unnecessary regulations on abortion in New Jersey, and opening new avenues for access to reproductive healthcare services across the state.
“A federal judge rightly rejected the Texas law because it takes away a fundamental right under our Constitution, and because it threatens harm to untold numbers of persons who need or who provide this essential healthcare,” said Acting Attorney General Bruck. “We fully agree and we call on the Supreme Court to halt enforcement of this blatantly illegal measure.”
The Texas law (S.B. 8) bans most abortions after approximately six weeks, and contains no exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape, sexual abuse and incest, or for pregnancies involving a fetal defect incompatible with life after birth.
The brief argues that S.B. 8 is tantamount to “an across-the-board ban on constitutionally protected conduct” and asserts that the law has made it all but impossible to obtain an abortion in Texas. The brief further argues that Texas’ law has created widespread fear among abortion providers of being targeted under a provision that deputizes private citizens and private entities – but not Texas state or local officials – to enforce the law by filing civil lawsuits.
Under the law, private parties are allowed to recover a minimum of $10,000 from individuals who facilitate an abortion prohibited by the law, including anyone who performs or induces a prohibited abortion, anyone who aids or abets the performance or inducement of a prohibited abortion, and anyone who intends to participate in a prohibited abortion.
The multi-state brief refers to Texas’ granting of enforcement powers to private citizens – and not state officials – as an evasive “scheme” employed for the purpose of “trampling constitutional rights under the color of state law.”
On October 6, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the Texas law, and in a 113-page ruling that accompanied the injunction agreed with the position taken by both DOJ and the amicus states.
In his ruling, the judge wrote that, “A person’s right under the Constitution to choose to obtain an abortion prior to fetal viability is well established. Fully aware that depriving its citizens of this right by direct state action would be flagrantly unconstitutional, the State (Texas) contrived an unprecedented and transparent statutory scheme to do just that.”
On October 8, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily held the injunction in abeyance, and, on October 14, issued a stay blocking the injunction issued by Judge Pitman. These rulings cleared the way for the Texas law to go into effect.
DOJ has since asked the Supreme Court to vacate the Fifth Circuit’s stay, which would put Judge Pitman’s preliminary injunction back in force
KIDNAPPING IN HAITI: CARIBBEAN
As the social, economic, and political climate in Haiti continues to descend into chaos, several people looking to help victims have now become victims themselves.
On Oct. 16, 16 Americans and one Canadian were abducted by kidnappers in Haiti, who have demanded $1 million for each person in exchange for their freedom. The group was comprised of missionaries and their families. So far, the FBI and other authorities are trying to find avenues to free the group from the kidnappers, known the “400 Mawozo.”
“Many people, including CAM management and Haitian and U.S. authorities, are working diligently to bring our loved ones home safely,” the Christian Aid Ministries of Millersburg, Ohio wrote in a statement.
“The ages of the adults being held captive range from 18 to 48. The ages of the children are 8 months, 3 years, 6 years, 13 years, and 15 years. Today, we again commit our workers to God’s care. ‘For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways’ (Psalm 91:11). Pray that our workers could respond to hatred with Jesus’ love, overcome the spirit of fear with faith, and face violence with a genuine desire to bless their oppressors.
“We request prayers for the Haitian and American civil authorities who are working to resolve this situation. We believe the command of the Bible in I Timothy 2:2-3 – ‘Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.’
“This group of workers has been committed to minister throughout poverty-stricken Haiti. Their heart-felt desire is to share the love of Jesus. Before the kidnapping, their work throughout Haiti included supporting thousands of needy school children, distributing Bibles and Christian literature, supplying medicines for numerous clinics, teaching Haitian pastors, and providing food for the elderly and vulnerable. In recent months, they were actively involved in coordinating a rebuilding project for those who lost their homes in the August 2021 earthquake. When kidnapped, the group was returning from a visit to an orphanage that receives support from Christian Aid Ministries.”
As of deadline, the U.S. government has remained adamant that it would not pay the multi-million dollar ransom.
MISSILES GALORE: ASIA
Two Asian nations have drawn both the ire and concern from one particular Western superpower.
On Oct. 19, the United States condemned a suspected submarine missile launch from North Korea, which was in violation of agreements that the latter would refrain from efforts to engage in such activity. North Korea has been admonished several times by the U.S. and United Nations for its defense endeavors, including its aspirations and efforts to create a nuclear arsenal.
Although North Korea has been lately known for the mysterious status of dictator Kim Jong-un, the country has been more active in its missile program since the U.S. debacle in Afghanistan, with the possible reason that they do not view current U.S. President Joe Biden as a threat to their ambitions.
While the North Korea news left a sore spot for American officials, there was much more dire news the previous day. On Oct. 18, China had successfully launched a hypersonic missile that could travel via space around the globe and hit unprotected areas of the southern U.S., as there seems to be no way to defend against it.
In addition to China having such technology, Russia is also believed to be either close, or like China years ahead of the U.S. in wielding the weapon.
