The Family Beacon

The confirmation hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson have been a relatively peaceful affair. In comparison to the ruthless attacks on Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, there has been relative civility surrounding the D.C Court of Appeals judge. While it is likely that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed, it is good to take a dive into her actual rulings and responses to questioning, not just her resume.

Jackson’s stance on abortion has been problematic for most conservatives. In the hearing, she referred to Roe v. Wade as “the settled law of the Supreme Court,” while later acknowledging that if Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe then it, too, would be treated as precedent.

But in 2001, Jackson was involved in a Massachusetts case dealing with pro-life counselors and their right to assemble outside of abortion centers. She co-authored a decision that allowed the creation of a “buffer-zone” between the counselors and the women entering the clinics.

Conservatives have also expressed concern over loud support for Jackson from pro-abortion groups such as Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). A statement from Planned Parenthood stressed that “Judge Jackson will play a crucial role in the direction the court takes in the future.”

Among the concerned is Senator John Cornyn from Texas, who asked why far-left groups such as Demand Justice have publicly supported Judge Jackson’s nomination. Demand Justice is a progressive activist group whose purpose is to add more justices to the Supreme Court. With a court packed by the pro-abortion Biden administration, positive abortion reform at SCOTUS would become virtually impossible for a generation.

Perhaps most concerningly, when asked about the definition of a woman by Senator Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Judge Jackson refused to give a straight answer. Should a Judge who cannot define what a woman is be allowed to preside over cases dealing with gender, sexual identity, and abortion? Behind Judge Jackson’s impressive paper qualifications lies what seems to be an entrenched progressive ideology, committed to the recent fabrication that “man” and “woman” are culturally constructed concepts, instead of God-given biological realities.

In a 93-42 vote, Maryland legislators passed a law aimed at enshrining abortion as a constitutional right. This decision came after fervent opposition from pro-life legislators in their attempts to amend the bill. If the bill is approved by the Maryland Senate, it would appear on the ballot for Maryland voters to make abortion a constitutionally-guaranteed right.

This constitutional amendment is in direct response to the U.S Supreme Court’s expected decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson case. This case could abolish Roe v. Wade and return the power to legislate on abortion’s legality to the states. If the Maryland amendment gets the approval of voters, it would make it almost impossible to make abortion illegal in that state. Some have cried foul as this bill seeks influence future elections. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County) said, “There's no reason for this bill, unless it's purely political, to turn out people in elections this coming November, and I don't think that's a great reason to vote for a constitutional amendment.”

Since the downfall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has been a bastion of religious freedom in Eastern Europe. But with the invasion by the totalitarian Russian regime, which threatens Ukraine’s sovereignty, this freedom could wither away. As believers, we need to provide measured support Ukraine in their fight for independence so that religious freedom may thrive.

Russia has had a long history of religious persecution, and while the repression affects every faith, Russia’s main target has been Christianity. Vladimir Lenin, the father of the USSR wrote about how religion was poison to the people, and “there is nothing more abominable than religion.” Lenin and later Soviet leaders Stalin, and Khrushchev all led campaigns against established religion, which burned churches, imprisoned priests, and drove Christians out of the country. Khrushchev infamously stated that Christians would become extinct when he was done with them. This persecution did not end when the USSR was abolished in 1990. In 2017, the Russian Nation named Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremists” and outlawed the practice of their religion. The Russian government under Vladimir Putin has made Christian evangelism very difficult, and has enacted training regulations on pastors and priests that demand they become recertified by a “centralized religious organization.”

American public schools no longer look after the best interests of our children. Instead, they often attempt to indoctrinate our kids with radical theories about race and sexuality. In large part, they have ceased to care for the opinions of parents and have in many cases purposefully hidden certain curriculum from the eyes of Mom and Dad. The radicalization and indoctrination in public schools can no longer be denied, nor tolerated. It is no wonder then that in a recent survey, 70% of American parents want to take control of their children’s education.

Parents should always have the final say in their child’s education, but for many years now, progressive activists have been working to take away a parent’s right to influence their child’s education. In a sad irony, Planned Parenthood demands that every woman has the right to choose to end their own child’s life, and yet in many public school districts parents have little control over what curriculum their child is taught. School districts around the state have embraced the teachings of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE). These theories are in direct opposition to what Christians believe. CRT suggests that racial discrimination issues can only be solved by more racial discrimination, and CSE teaches that sexually immoral behavior is “normal” and “acceptable.”