CN Morning Rundown: Court Cancels Obamacare’s ‘Transgender Mandate,’ and More

Here’s a quick summary of the top stories on cn.mycharisma.com:

Court Cancels Obamacare’s ‘Transgender Mandate,’ Grants Religious Freedom to Medical Professionals

This week, a federal court struck down an Obama-era mandate dictating that doctors perform gender-transition surgeries after referral by a mental health professional despite objections the doctor might have to the procedure. The mandate, which originated in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, prohibited “discrimination in health care on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability.”

In 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services redefined “sex” to include “among other things, discrimination on the basis of sex stereotyping, gender identity, and termination of pregnancy.” HHS defined gender identity as “one’s internal sense of gender, which may be male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female, and which may be different from an individual’s sex assigned at birth.” The Trump administration later changed the agency’s interpretation, returning to “the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology.’

On the eve of President Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration, Judge Peter Welte of the Eastern District of North Dakota granted a group of Catholic organizations representing hospitals, doctors and clinics, joined in part by the state of North Dakota, permanent injunctive relief from being forced to provide or cover gender-transition procedures, per the National Catholic Register.

Franklin Graham Under Fire for Trump Support, Accused of Inciting Violence

Thousands have signed a petition calling for the termination of Franklin Graham from his positions at Samaritan’s Purse and at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

The reason?

His supposed encouragement of the Capitol riots by way of showing his support for former President Donald J. Trump.

The Faithful America petition likens Graham to “blasphemous preachers” who “must be held accountable for their deadly dishonesty.”

Trump Still Making a Difference: National Sanctity of Life Day Scheduled for Jan. 22

My Faith Votes, a nonpartisan organization that mobilizes people of faith to vote in local, state and national elections, issues the following statement:

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to former President Donald Trump for issuing the proclamation of National Sanctity of Human Life Day, which will be observed on Jan. 22, 48 years to the day Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in our nation.

My Faith Votes is built on the pillars of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, strong families and marriages and compassion and support for those in need. As such we believe all life is sacred because all people are created in the image of God. The unborn are the most vulnerable members of our society and they deserve to be protected. National Sanctity of Human Life Day is a major step forward for our nation, which has long championed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. {eoa}