Dear Jack,

Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

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2. WHQR: Governor Stein Signs Parents Protection Act, Vetoes Other Bills He Decries as "Mean"

"Senate Bill 442 formally allows foster and adoptive parents to raise transgender children as their 'biological sex' without being subject to child abuse petitions. That includes misgendering their child and making health decisions 'based on the child's biological sex,' which the law states would not constitute serious mental injury.

The Parents Protection Act also prohibits adoption agencies from discriminating against potential parents based on race or their refusal to respect a child's gender identity. Republican Rep. Donnie Loftis co-sponsored the House version of the bill. He cited several custody disputes relating to gender identity as the reason for the provision, including an Oregon woman who was rejected by an adoption agency for opposing gender transition."

Read more: https://www.whqr.org/local/2025-07-03/governor-stein-signs-parents-protection-act-vetoes-other-bills-he-decries-as-mean-spirited

Another bill worth noting that Gov. Stein acted upon was HB 959, which he signed. The bill bans cell phone use at schools. Check it out, along with 5 others he signed, here.

Finally, you can also read our press release in response to his signature here.

3. WATCH: 🤷‍♀️ What Is A Woman?

Our team hit the streets of downtown Raleigh to ask a simple question: What is a woman?

Watch the video and then take action: Tell the North Carolina General Assembly to override Governor Stein's veto of the pro-values HB 805 by using our time saving click-to-contact tool.

Watch: https://ncvalues.org/what-is-a-woman/

4. NORTH STATE JOURNAL: OP-ED: I Experienced the Disappearance of Women’s Spaces

"Today’s youth — my generation — have grown up in a culture that is saturated by gender ideology. One in four Gen Z Americans now identify as LGBTQ — more than any generation before. These ideas, widely shared on social media, have come to shape how many young people think. To be transgender, activists say, is to “live your truth,” and many teens believe that gender is defined by feelings. Young women these days simply accept the fact that young men are entering their private spaces because they believe that opposing it is hateful to the LGBTQ community.

But the reality is that males and females are inherently different"

Read more: https://nsjonline.com/article/2025/06/russell-i-experienced-the-disappearance-of-womens-spaces/

5. WFAE: Three Years Since the Dobbs Decision: Where Does Abortion Access and Care Stand in NC?

NC Values Coalition's Ashley Vaughan and Mary Summa defend your prolife values in this interview: "Now, a recent report revealed North Carolina is the second-highest state for the number of out-of-state patients receiving abortions in 2024, according to the Guttmacher Institute. That's because for many people seeking abortions in the South, North Carolina became their closest option. More than one-third of the nearly 46,000 abortions provided in North Carolina were for patients traveling from other, more restrictive states.

We look at the status of abortion care in North Carolina as the state emerges as a haven for Southern abortion seekers. We’ll hear from a medical practitioner working in abortion care and legal counsel for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic on the push for abortion access, while also hearing from a coalition pushing back on abortion access, working toward their commitment to protecting life and empowering mothers."

Read more: https://www.wfae.org/show/charlotte-talks-with-mike-collins/2025-06-30/three-years-since-the-dobbs-decision-where-does-abortion-access-and-care-stand-in-nc

WEEKLY PRAYER: Life

LORD, we recognize that you are Sovereign over all creation. We recognize you made man from the dust, and in your mercy, you crowned creation with man and woman made in your image. What a wonder it is that you would bestow upon us this blessing and responsibility!

LORD, may we not take this blessing for granted. We pray that this great responsibility and dignity may motivate us to love You, our neighbors, and our families more. LORD, may we as a culture truly see and believe that children are a blessing from the LORD—born or unborn; able or disabled. All children should have an opportunity to experience the liberty of life. LORD, make us your vehicle to change our culture into one that cherishes and protects life. Keep at the forefront of our minds our responsibilities to respect, cherish, and serve the youngest and oldest in our society.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'” (Matthew 18:1-6)

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values