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GOP Lawmakers Say Nationwide Ban on Abortion Is ‘Possible’ as Law Goes to the Senate Floor Wednesday

Currents News Staff

Night after night, protesters outside the homes of Conservative Supreme Court Justices are voicing support for abortion.

“Keep abortion…..safe and legal,” protesters say.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell raised eyebrows in a recent interview saying a nationwide ban on abortions is theoretically possible. Although other members of his party poured cold water on that talk, it still provoked strong reactions.

“Hear that America?” asked Sen. Chuck Schumer. “Total ban on abortion stated by not any Republican, but by the Republican leader.”

Majority leader Chuck Schumer is set to bring a bill that codifies Roe as law to the senate floor wednesday, but it’s likely to fail for a second time, due to GOP opposition.

As Republican and Democratic lawmakers go back and forth on the issue, violence has erupted. Authorities are still investigating an alleged arson incident sunday at the offices of a Wisconsin pro-life group.

“There is no room for hate or violence in Madison,” said Police Chief Shon Barnes. “In fact there is no room for hate or violence anywhere in our country.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Albany are pushing a bill that would establish a state fund to pay for abortions. Taxpayer dollars would cover the procedure not only for New Yorkers, but also for out-of-state women and undocumented migrants. The price on that: $50 million per year to meet demand if Roe v Wade is struck down.

Baby Formula Remains in Short Supply as Inflation and Product Recalls are Being Blamed

Currents News Staff

Baby formula is getting harder and harder to find. Analysts say supply chain challenges, inflation and product recalls are all preventing formula from hitting store shelves. The FDA is paying close attention as it works with manufacturers to safely ramp up production.

“We’re very concerned about it and understand,” said Dr. Robert Califf, FDA Commissioner, “understand that it should be a concern that, moms and dads and grandparents, like me, we want this to get fixed.”

New data from “Datasembly” shows 40-percent of baby formula brands are out-of-stock. That’s a dramatic rise from the first half of 2021 when the rate was between 2 and 8-percent. The new data also shows these six states –  Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee – that more than half of baby formula was completely sold out during the last week of April.

The situation has parents feeling helpless.

“There’s no answer,” said Samantha Cory, a mom to twins. “What are we supposed to do if we can’t find the formula?”

The supply is so low that CVS, Walgreens and Target are limiting purchases. Parents say those limited are making things even harder.

“So what am I doing?” asked Samantha. “I’m starting to hoard. I’m starting to scour, we’re going further out. I’m going to areas where I know that there’s a low population. What am I doing? You know, it’s unreal.”

Experts urge parents to be flexible and speak to their pediatricians about options, especially if they have kids with severe allergies that require special formulas.

“We want to make sure that families do not get desperate,” said Dr. Steven Abrams, the former chair on the AAP Committee on Nutrition, “and do things like start making formulas at home or buying formulas that are not properly vetted by the FDA.”

Artifacts of the First Brick Catholic Church in America Hold the Stories of the Saints

Currents News Staff

In 1665, the first brick Catholic church in the country was built in St. Mary’s City, Maryland.

It was destroyed and forgotten about. But in the 20th century, archeologists discovered remnants of it.

To this day, they’re still uncovering artifacts important to the Catholic church at that site.

Henry Miller is one of those archeologists who’s been working on excavations at the historic site since 1988 and he joins Currents News to discuss what they’ve found.

New York’s Attorney General Proposes Legislation that Would Turn New York into an Abortion Hub

Currents News Staff

New York Attorney General Letitia James unveiled a bill to expand and protect access to abortions in the state.

James is helping to spearhead a piece of legislation called The Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program.

Under the proposal, 50-million dollars in state funds will be funneled to abortion providers across New York.

“We are taking action to make sure that it remains true here in New York, both for people here in New York and in states poised to ban abortions,” said James.

Kristen E. Curran, Director of Government Relations for the New York State Catholic Conference released a statement on the proposal, saying in part: “Now some officials want to make abortion a tourism industry, like Broadway or Niagara Falls, for out-of-state residents.”

The statement continued, “This is appalling. We believe the state should focus on its own residents and making New York a more welcoming culture for women in crisis pregnancies who would choose to keep their babies if only they had the supports and resources they deserve.”

This Christian Pastor is Set to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro to Fight Food Insecurity

Currents News Staff

She’s a woman on a mission – not to move mountains, but to climb them.

And not just any mountain, we’re talking about Mount Kilimanjaro.

Pastor Sylvia Tisdale is a pastor from Pensacola.

The Christian woman is 70 years old and has been training two hours a day for the past five months to make the trek.

But why?

She hopes her climb will raise money for and bring awareness to hunger and food insecurity.

The pastor runs a soup kitchen and food distribution center, which is why the mission is so close to her heart.

And the countdown is on – she’ll step off next month.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 05/09/22

From New York to Washington D.C., protests were held outside of churches, the Supreme Court and even the homes of some of the Justices. The battle over abortion may be heading to the Senate floor.

Police are looking a man that allegedly attacked a Brooklyn rabbi on Saturday.

A Christian pastor in Florida is getting ready to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for a soup kitchen she runs.

Putin Doubles Down on War with Ukraine During Victory Day Festivities: ‘This Was the Only Correct Decision’

Currents News Staff

Russia’s Victory Day parade is intended to commemorate the country’s defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used the event to reiterate his accusation that the west left him no choice but to invade Ukraine, and offered few clues on the direction of the conflict.

“Russia repelled this aggression in a preventive way and this was the only correct decision,” said Putin.

Over the weekend there was a new slate of sanctions, with U.S. cutting off Kremlin-controlled media outlets from American advertisers and banning Russia from using some American consulting services.

“There was no reason for him to either declare victory or to declare a war that he has already been carrying on for more than two months,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to U.N.

On Monday the president of the European Council was forced to take shelter during a visit to Odesa as missiles struck the region.

This, following First Lady Jill Biden’s unexpected Mother’s Day trip to western Ukraine.

Her visit to an active war zone is a rarity from the spouse of a sitting U.S. President.

Meanwhile, dozens are feared dead in the Luhansk region after Russians were accused of bombing a school sheltering Ukrainians over the weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is vowing his country will win the war.

“We are free people who have their own path. Today, we are waging war on this path and we will not give anyone a single piece of our land,” said the Ukrainian President.

Wisconsin Pro-Life Nonprofit Hit by Arson, Vandalism: ‘If Abortions Aren’t Safe Then You Aren’t Either’

Currents News Staff

Police in Wisconsin’s capital are investigating what they are calling a “targeted arson” at a pro-life organization Sunday.

Madison police say someone threw a Molotov cocktail into the Wisconsin Family Action office, a pro-life nonprofit.

For Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, it meant an unexpected trip to her office on Mother’s Day.

“The smoke damage, the water damage, all of the glass damage, all of that is just terrible. The building management got a hold of me about a quarter to 8:00 and told me that there had been a breach in our office,” Appling said.

Appling believes the attack was motivated by a possible overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Inside were clear signs of fire damage and outside, vandalism. The words “if abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either” were spray painted on the building’s walls.

“I’m standing here in front of a sign that’s threatening my life. I respect the right for people to disagree with us but we’ve never had anything that materialized like this,” said Appling.

“They have every right to be angry. But the anger cannot. It cannot translate into what you’re looking at behind me, or what you saw in my office,” she continued.

But not knowing by who is behind the attack has Appling now worried for the safety of her staff.

“We truly are trusting people? I never even thought about security cameras. They may not have been killed because it wasn’t that strong but you certainly would’ve been harmed by just the flying glass,” she added.

She is standing firm in her beliefs.

“I’m not going to back down on our opinion, we’re not going to take a different position, and change what we believe at our core,” Appling said.

Bishop Donald Hying of the Diocese of Madison issued a statement about the attack, saying: “The destruction of Wisconsin Family Action headquarters in Madison over the weekend is a brazen act of violence which all citizens should condemn, as an attack on the respect and concern we owe to each other in seeking the common good.  The graffitied message, ‘If abortions aren’t safe, you aren’t either’ shows this attack to be explicitly against pro-life Americans who seek to protect the precious gift of life in the womb.”

Bishop Hying’s statement continued, “Abortion is violence, not only against the unborn child, but also women, men, and families.  We pray for a conversion of hearts in our country, that we may truly build a culture of life and compassion, where every human person is welcomed, nurtured and loved from the moment of conception to natural death.”

Wisconsin Family Action released a full statement about the attack on their website. They are back on the job this week, but the office staff will be working remotely.

Schumer Announces ‘The Women’s Health Protection Act’ Intended to Codify Roe v Wade

Currents News Staff

The battle over abortion rights appears to be heading to the Senate floor.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Sunday he will be putting a bill to codify Roe v Wade up for a vote later this week.

Democrats are hoping they can preserve abortion rights that way.

On Sunday, which was Mother’s Day, dozens of women in Kansas City protested in support of Roe v. Wade.

“Once they take away abortion, they’re going to take away birth control, I mean who knows what comes next? It’s a slippery slope,” said Lorraine Goodrich.

Schumer says he plans to file a motion for a procedural vote Monday, which could see a full Senate vote on the controversial issue Wednesday.

“I think Roe v Wade created a constitutional right that doesn’t exist in the written constitution. It’s created division from the first day it was decided until now,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina.

The Women’s Health Protection Act bill to codify Roe, pushed by Schumer and other Senate democrats, would need at least ten republican votes to overcome a G.O.P. filibuster.

Hitting that threshold is unlikely.

“If America’s people, America’s women and men who love them do not fight right now, we will lose the basic right to make decisions, to have bodily autonomy, and to decide what our futures look like,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand from New York.

There are so-called ‘trigger laws’ in 13 states, which would quickly ban abortion if Roe is overturned.

One of those states is Mississippi and its governor, Tate Reeves, says ending Roe would be a big win for the pro-life movement.

“We’re trying to provide those potential expectant mothers the resources that they need so they can go to a full-term pregnancy. If they choose to keep that child, then that’s a great outcome,” said Reeves.