ERLC

WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should not pay for abortions nor counsel expectant mothers to end their unborn babies’ lives, Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) Acting President Miles Mullin said in a letter to the department Sept. 3.

On July 23, the White House released its “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” initiated by a January executive order from President Trump. The action plan unveils a three-pillared approach outlining how to harness the economic and military benefits of AI and establish the United States as the global AI leader. 

NASHVILLE (BP) – The years-long efforts of New Jersey’s attorney general to force crisis pregnancy centers to provide internal documents as well as donors’ personal information is unconstitutional and the latest case of pro-life groups being persecuted for their beliefs, said attorneys for Alliance Defending Freedom on Aug. 22. 

NASHVILLE (BP) – Trustees for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission selected seven from their group today (Aug. 14) as the team to search for the entity’s next president.

SEATTLE (BP) – World Vision qualifies for a ministerial exception in refusing to hire a married lesbian expectant mother as a remote customer service representative, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Brent Leatherwood has resigned as president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, ending nearly nine years of service that began in 2017 as director of strategic partnerships.

NASHVILLE (BP) – More than 20 states sued the Trump administration July 29 to overturn the president’s effort to defund Planned Parenthood. The organization is the nation’s largest recipient of Medicaid payments.

Earlier this year, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission released its second State Policy Agenda, highlighting state-level policy initiatives that reflect the cultural and ethical priorities of Southern Baptists. The legislation featured is not an exhaustive evaluation of policies state legislatures were or are considering, but a compilation of bills brought to the ERLC’s attention by Southern Baptist state ethics leaders, state conventions and other partners who share Southern Baptist values. It is compiled in consultation with leaders from state Baptist conventions. 

BOSTON (BP) – A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday (July 21) partially granting Planned Parenthood’s request to prevent enforcement of the defund measure included in the recent budget reconciliation bill approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.

On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reached an agreement with plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit concerning free speech for churches. In a joint motion, the parties asked the court to settle the dispute, reinterpreting the Johnson Amendment and clarifying that churches are no longer restricted from speaking about political issues or candidates.