Culture Clips
By Jen Wooldridge
BILL ENABLES CHILDREN TO HIDE ABORTIONS , TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS FROM PARENTS
The California Family Council reports : “ AB 1184 , sponsored by Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California , prohibits insurance companies from revealing to the policyholder the ‘ sensitive ’ services of anyone on their policy , including minor children , even though the policy owner is financially responsible for the services . These ‘ sensitive ’ services include abortions , sexual assault treatment , drug abuse and mental health treatment , cross-sex hormones , puberty blockers , and sex-change operations . In California , minors can consent to all of these sensitive treatments , except for sex-change surgeries , after the age of 12 under certain conditions , and consent to abortions at any age .” 1
COACH FIRED FOR PRAYER TAKES CASE TO SUPREME COURT
High school football coach Joe Kennedy asked the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision that allowed the Bremerton School District to terminate his employment . The court petition filed on his behalf states , “ Petitioner Joseph Kennedy lost his job as a football coach at a public high school because he knelt and said a quiet prayer by himself at midfield after the game ended .” 2 Kelly Shackelford , President , CEO , and Chief Counsel at First Liberty Institute , one of the law firms representing Kennedy , says , “ No American should be forced to choose between their faith and the job they love . The Ninth Circuit ’ s opinion threatens the rights of millions of Americans who simply want to be able to freely exercise their faith without fear of losing their job . We hope the Supreme Court will right this wrong and restore Coach Kennedy to the football field where he belongs .” 3
THE GOOD AND BAD OF INSTAGRAM
WORLD ’ s Sarah Schweinsberg spoke with Instagram influencer Candace Cima , a grandmother who uses her platform to change the perspective on aging . Cima says , “ What I wanted to talk about was how women can still feel good about themselves . They can still feel productive . They can still feel like they ’ re contributing .” 4 Cima ’ s page encourages 40,000 followers to live life to the fullest at every age , develop healthy lifestyles and habits , and embrace new opportunities .
On the flip side , company documents at Facebook show the company was aware of the harm its Instagram platform was causing to teen girls . Likely due to this information becoming public and pressure from activists and lawmakers , development has paused for Instagram Kids , a platform intended for users younger than 13 with parental supervision . 5
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS NORTH KOREA ’ S VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released a report documenting religious freedom violations in North Korea . The introduction of the report states : “. . . the North Korean government poses an acute challenge to its citizens ’ enjoyment of their right to freedom of thought , conscience , religion , or belief . Violations of this right in North Korea are ongoing , egregious , and systematic , and they are perpetrated and overseen by the active mobilization of organs of the North Korean government . . . . Our investigators undertook in-person interviews with survivors , witnesses , and perpetrators of religious freedom violations in 2020 and 2021 . The majority of interviewees had escaped North Korea in 2019 . . . . Victims suffered distinct human rights violations , including arbitrary arrest and detention ; torture and cruel , inhuman , or degrading treatment ; and the denial of life .” 6 ■
ENDNOTES 1 . Greg Burt , “ Governor Signs Bill to Hide Minor Abortions , Transgender Drugs from Parents ,” California Family Council , Sept . 22 , 2021 , https :// californiafamily . org / 2021 / governor-signs-bill-to-hide-minor-abortions-transgender-drugs-from-parents . 2 . “ FINAL 2021.09.14 Kennedy Cert Petition ,” First Liberty Institute , accessed Sept . 28 , 2021 , https :// firstliberty . org / wp-content / uploads / 2021 / 09 / FINAL-Kennedy-Cert- Petition _ Redacted . pdf . 3 . “ Coach Kennedy Asks Supreme Court to Reverse Another Troubling Ninth Circuit Decision Preventing Him from Taking a Knee ,” First Liberty Institute , Sept . 14 , 2021 , https :// firstliberty . org / media / coach-kennedy-asks-supreme-court-to-reverse-another-troublingninth-circuit-decision-preventing-him-from-taking-a-knee . 4 . Sarah Schweinsberg , “ Aging with grace on the ’ gram ,” WORLD , Sept . 23 , 2021 , https :// wng . org / podcasts / aging-with-grace-on-the-gram-1632370325 . 5 . Carolina Lumetta , “ Facebook pauses kids app development ,” WORLD , Sept . 27 , 2021 , https :// wng . org / sift / facebook-pauses-kids-platform-development-1632774610 . 6 . “ Organized Persecution : Documenting Religious Freedom Violations in North Korea ,” USCIRF , accessed Sept . 28 , 2021 , https :// uscirf . gov / publication / organized-persecutiondocumenting-religious-freedom-violations-north-korea .
34 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW