WASHINGTON UPDATE 06/09/2015

June 09, 2015 | Permalink Dissent Leads to Descent of Abortion Liberals have done everything they can to make abortion more appealing. They've added spa robes and hot tea. They made it available on Skype, by carry-out, through pills. They've recruited celebrities to gush that its providers are "really, truly, no-kidding awesome." As the Washington Post said, "...Activists are seeking to normalize abortion, to put a human face -- and even a positive spin -- on the procedure." Unfortunately for them, there already is a human face on the procedure: the baby's. And no amount of Planned Parenthood gift certificates or Black Friday abortion deals can lessen the real cost in people's minds. After years of changing opinion, monsters like Kermit Gosnell only cemented what most Americans already knew -- there's nothing compassionate about "choice." Now, decades after Roe v. Wade, fewer women are exercising the "right" the Supreme Court found in the shadows of the Constitution. In fact, abortion isn't just in decline -- but in a freefall, dropping 12 percent nationwide since 2010. A new AP report makes matters even more interesting, explaining that the dip isn't just in states with new pro-life laws -- but almost all states. (Of the states that reported, only Michigan and Louisiana's abortions ticked up.) In places like Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma, where legislators raced to protect women and make clinics more accountable, abortion plunged by at least 15 percent -- a remarkable shift in just five years. Even liberal bastions like New York, Washington, and Oregon experienced similar slides, leading the Left to credit things like contraception and radical sex ed. But researcher Michael New doesn't buy it. An expert on the causal relationship between pro-life laws and abortion, New says the media is missing the big story here. "A better explanation is the fact that a considerably smaller percentage of women with unintended pregnancies are having abortions [down from 54% in 1995 to 40% in 2008]... The Associated Press article does not even consider this as a possibility." In fact, he says, "long-term abortion trends receive relatively little coverage from the mainstream media." Why? Because they're a dramatic picture of the pro-life swing taking place in America. "Few Americans know that the number of abortions performed in the United States peaked in 1990 and has declined by approximately 34% since that time. Through offering alternatives to women facing unplanned pregnancies, enacting legislation, and shifting public opinion, pro-life efforts have succeeded." Even the most aggressive pro-abortion administration in history can't compete with the technology, truth, and tenacity of the pro-life movement. For thousands of women, the window into the womb from sonograms and ultrasounds is the only persuasion they need to keep their babies. Combine that with the thriving network of pregnancy care centers and motivated lawmakers, and abortion activists are at a severe disadvantage. In three years -- 2011, 2012, and 2013 -- states enacted more pro-life laws (205) than in the entire previous decade combined (which, even the Left admits, has "a real impact on women seeking abortion care"). And you don't need a Gallup poll to show you what the March for Life recently did -- Americans, especially young ones, are increasingly pro-life. So while the Left may argue the means, there's no disputing the ends: abortion is losing its grip on America. Naturalized Selection: DHS Edits Citizen Test If it's a citizenship test, then the United States failed. That's what Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) is telling new Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. As part of the naturalization exam that prospective immigrants take, it seems the government has made a few edits to the First Amendment -- namely that it no longer protects the freedom of religion -- but "freedom of worship," a far less expansive interpretation than the one the Founders intended. In a letter Senator Lankford sent to Johnson, the Oklahoma conservative calls on DHS to correct the error. "The freedom of religion is much more than just the freedom of worship," he argues. "Worship confines you to a location. Freedom of religion is the right to exercise your religious beliefs -- it is the ability for Americans to live out their faith or to choose to have no faith at all." According to the Daily Signal, the change was made seven years ago when the Office of Citizenship was "advised that the word 'worship' was more inclusive than the word 'religion.'" Sound familiar? It should. The Obama administration has effectively done a find/replace in almost every speech the President has given on the subject, intentionally diminishing the liberty Americans have. In so doing, he's helped pave the way for the flood of persecution now hammering Christian businesses, charities, service members, athletes, celebrities, teachers and others hurt by this narrow understanding of our first freedom. The government's narrow "freedom of worship" would have us pack up our Christian symbols, our biblical beliefs, and our free speech, and stash them in the church, where they hope to quarantine them. "Our Constitution is clear -- Americans have the freedom of religion. The naturalization test and its corresponding materials must be equally clear...[S]aying that 'freedom of worship' is more inclusive than 'freedom of religion' flies in the face of a pillar upon which our entire nation was founded." Ironically, the freedom of religion is precisely why so many people want to become U.S. citizens, as they flee countries that punish the expressions of their beliefs. America should embrace the proud tradition of religious expression -- not suppress it. Let's hope that more leaders take Senator Lankford's cue to fight for exactly that. Numb and Numbers... More Polls, Less Certainty on Marriage The jury is literally out on same-sex "marriage," but more pollsters than ever want to hear from the court of public opinion. Pew Research Center is one of dozens of survey houses trying to nail down people's opinions before the Supreme Court releases its own. In its latest edition, the organization claims support for redefining marriage is the highest it's recorded -- with 57 percent in favor. Still, large majorities of evangelicals and Republicans remain passionately opposed -- at rates that are largely unchanged over time. African Americans are also strongly against redefining marriage (with only 41 percent in support). Of course, the irony of these results is that Pew just released a study on the incredible disparity of same-sex/LGBT polling numbers, and how the questioning and methodology for asking matters. In the secrecy of the ballot booth -- and online questions -- natural marriage picks up as many as 14 points. That's significant. As Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) pointed out in an interview with CBN, this all points back to the intimidation factor becoming more of a problem -- not just practically, but for pollsters trying to accurately capture society's views on the issues. "If you think about it, we are at the water's edge of the argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech," he said. "Because today we've reached the point in our society where if you do not support same-sex marriage you are labeled a homophobe and a hater." But despite reality TV and Hollywood's relentless attack on biblical morality, God has not changed His view or His word. Even if the culture changes, right and wrong haven't. As Bible-believing Christians continue to hold fast to the truth of God's word in the face of this radical sexual revolution, watch as the disdain for these believers and the Bible grows, just as Jesus warned (John 17:14). ** For more on the potential fallout of the Supreme Court ruling this month, check out Travis Weber's new CNSNews.com piece, "Same-sex Marriage Threatens Tax Exempt Status of Educational Institutions." Also, don't miss Ken Blackwell's latest take on the Middle East, "Let's Bring the Voice of the Iranian People into Our Iran Policy" over at Townhall. Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.