If it’s still inconceivable that 45 senators voted against a bill protecting girls and women from getting pummeled by boys and men on the field, court, track or in the pool, consider yourself in a good place.
If it’s still inconceivable that 45 senators voted against a bill protecting girls and women from getting pummeled by boys and men on the field, court, track or in the pool, consider yourself in a good place.
It brings to mind an old story about legendary FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. At one point in his career, he was encouraged to better understand the mind of a criminal. As the logic went, if one gets inside the head of a delinquent, they’ll more likely spot both the offense and offender. Only the pugnacious chief law enforcer of the famed bureau would have nothing of it.
“When I begin to understand the mind of a criminal, that’s when you can begin to worry about me,” he said.
Whether driven by raw partisanship, intense hatred of the president, or a blinded and distorted sense of reality, support for allowing men to compete against women is tantamount to voting for inevitable abuse.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a Washington church can be forced to fund abortions.
In a 2-1 opinion filed on March 6, 2025, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit ruled that Cedar Park Assembly of God church in Kirkland, Washington, did not have standing to challenge Washington’s Reproductive Parity Act.
The law, passed in 2018, requires all insurers that offer maternity coverage in employee health plans to also provide coverage for abortions.
Soon after the Parity Act took effect, Cedar Park’s health insurance provider — Kaiser Permanente — informed Cedar Park that it would no longer accommodate “abortion exclusions” for the church’s healthcare plan.
Kaiser conveyed to Cedar Park that “[u]pon review of [the Parity Act], fully insured health plans — that cover maternity care or services must cover substantially equivalent coverage for abortion.”
As a result, Cedar Park filed a lawsuit with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, contending the Parity Act violates the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause because it requires the church to violate its religious beliefs.
On March 6, the Ninth Circuit dismissed the case.
Judge Susan Graber, who authored the majority opinion, was joined by Judge Lucy Koh, nominees of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, respectively. Judge Consuelo Callahan, a nominee of former President George W. Bush, dissented from the court’s decision.
Last month, Bianca Censori posed nude at the Grammy awards — an exceedingly horrifying event I had planned on relegating to the deepest, darkest recesses of my memory.
But unfortunately, the model’s stunt seems to be part of a larger trend.
So-called “naked-dressing” was on full display (pun intended) at an Oscar awards afterparty earlier this month. So many women attended the event in so little clothing that The Hollywood Reporter called “naked dresses” a “major dressing trend.”
Those who didn’t partake in near total nudity chose clothing with “lingerie inspirations, black lace and provocative details that included plunging necklines and open lacing,” the fashion outlet wrote, describing frequently obscene shows of skin as “daring,” “high-wattage” and “sultry.”
The mainstream media’s coverage of the afterparty reflects Western culture’s celebration of voluntary public nudity as female empowerment.
By rejecting “arbitrary” standards of modesty, the argument goes, women demonstrate ultimate control over their bodies.
This claim has more holes than a “naked dress.”
Even the strongest supporters of this trend recognize nudity doesn’t empower women all the time. That’s why we don’t teach our daughters to walk around naked.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon recently sent her staff a letter titled, “Our Department’s Final Mission.”
She wrote, “My vision is aligned with the President’s: to send education back to the states.”
Secretary McMahon added,
“The Department of Education’s role in this new era of accountability is to restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington.”
Other goals listed in the staff letter include:
“Empower all parents to choose an excellent education for their children through increased school choice” by “promoting school choice for every child.”
Combat radical ideologies and practices, such as “critical race theory, DEI, gender ideology and discrimination in admissions.”
Eliminate “waste, red tape and harmful programs in the federal government.”
Restore “patriotic education and civics.”
President Trump has already taken steps to achieve some of these goals, signing executive orders directing the DOE to promote educational freedom for families; stop the indoctrination of children into “radical, anti-American ideologies”; protect girls and women’s sports; and end diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) programs in education.
Focus on the Family was recently contacted by a secular news agency with questions about education freedom and the popularity of homeschooling and private education options over government-run schools. This gave us the opportunity to explain more fully why school choice matters to families and sets students up for success.
Right now, with so many fundamental assumptions about the government’s involvement in education being questioned, this is the perfect time to have conversations with our neighbors and friends about why education freedom is essential to the future of the education movement in the United States.
Here’s how Focus on the Family made the case for school choice and education freedom.
Advantages of School Choice
Focus on the Family believes parents have the God-given, fundamental right to direct their children’s education.
We know that children have different personalities and learning styles. Parents know their children and are equipped to make education decisions in their child’s best interest.
Focus on the Family will continue to advocate for parental rights and equip parents to understand their rights. We want parents to feel confident in their ability to advocate for their rights as parents and for their children.
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