District of Columbia
New Report Shows Impact of Pregnancy Resource Centers
The Family Research Council announced on Monday the release of a new report showing the impact Pregnancy Resource Centers make in local and national communities.
According to the report, titled "A Passion to Serve: How Pregnancy Resource Centers Empower Women, Help Families and Strengthen Communities," PRCs helped reduce the rate of repeat abortions which, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, account for at least 36 percent of abortions." Approximately 50 million abortions have been performed in the U.S. between 1973 and 2008.
Jeanne Monahan, director of the Center for Human Dignity at FRC, said at a pro-life FRC conference Monday that the report "quantifies the impact pregnancy centers are making." The authors of the study estimate PRCs save taxpayers at least $100 million a year. more >>
Rain Disrupts Pro-Life Youth Rally but Not March for Life

WASHINGTON – Although winter weather forced the National Pro-life Youth Rally from its Washington, D.C., location, marchers in the 39th annual March for Life were undeterred.
The youth rally changed from a live concert near the Supreme Court to a live audio webcast after the Washington, D.C. area experienced snow and freezing rain over the weekend.
Students for Life of America, a sponsoring organization for the event, warned attendees of the change, announcing, "For those who are planning to attend the March for Life today, please know that there has been a travel advisory due to overnight ice. In addition, the weather forecast is calling for 90% chance of rain," SFLA Executive Director Kristan Hawkins said. more >>
Images, Social Media, Young People Key in Pro-Life Fight
In the fight to end abortion, the power of the image is key, say pro-life activists.
Billboards, videos and ultrasound images have all contributed to getting the pro-life message out and changing hearts. But a lot of the pro-life messaging today is without form or design, and often there isn't a concentration in creating a powerful link between the message and the recipient, said Ryan Bomberger, founder of The Radiance Foundation and TooManyAborted.com, on Monday.
Bomberger was speaking at ProLifeCon, an event hosted by Family Research Council for the online pro-life community. The conference was held on the day of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., and one day after the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. more >>
Obama Admin. Defends Controversial Recess Appointments
Barack Obama’s administration, in defending the recent recess appointments, is attempting to have “pro forma” sessions for Democrats and block it, too.
White House and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials have disputed charges that the president unconstitutionally made recess appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) while Republicans kept the Senate in session.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters at the Thursday briefing that ranking Republican House Speaker John Boehner acknowledged on his website that the U.S. House of Representatives is out of session. more >>
Supreme Court Upholds Church's Religious Liberty in Unanimous Decision

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed Wednesday that the government should not interfere with religious groups’ internal affairs in the case of a disgruntled former employee of a Lutheran school.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion for Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that allowing the EEOC’s anti-discrimination lawsuit violated the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment.
"Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs," Roberts wrote. "By imposing an unwanted minister, the state infringes the Free Exercise Clause, which protects a religious group's right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments." more >>
Annual New Year's Revival Rallies Churches for God

An interdenominational faith revival drew all kinds of churches to the Washington, D.C. area to kick off the New Year in unity.
"Even though our churches do things differently, we understand that for this season it isn't about that," said Lead Pastor John Jenkins, Sr. of Landover, Md.'s First Baptist Church of Glenarden. "It's about churches setting aside their differences and working together for the greater good of God."
First Baptist and D.C.'s Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church have gathered with visiting churches for several days of singing, sermons and devotion to God every year since 2003. more >>
