WEEKLY RECAP

Legislative Session Winding Down

FAITH IN POLITICS, FRIDAYS 10:00 a.m. on KALO TV and KHLT RADIO 1040 AM

This weekly e-news update will the last for this legislative session.  The session closes next week Thursday.  That doesn't mean we won't stay in touch, though.  As we normally do, we will be sending out our newsletter on a monthly basis until the 2022 legislative session begins next year.

I try to send these updates towards the end of the month so be looking for our regular monthly e-news around the 30th of May.  If something comes up, we will continue to send out alerts/updates on local and national issues.

And, as always, plug into our weekly podcast "Faith in Politics" where we plan to keep the discussions going.  There are many ways to watch and/or listen, click this link to find out more.

Question?  What do you want us to talk about on the show? Email me and tell me what you think we need to discuss.  

Upcoming Legislative Deadlines

APR 29 - ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE - In Latin, "sine die" means "without a day specified" for future meeting. Adjournment sine die occurs on the last day of a Regular Session and indicates a suspension of the business of the legislature indefinitely. Next, the Legislature will certify the bills whose form both chambers have agreed to and will transmit or "enroll" those bills to the Governor. Contact the Public Access Room (PAR) for information regarding the Governor's deadlines: (808) 587-0478, par@capitol.hawaii.gov .

Hawaii Family Forum Survey Results: Now Available

As you know, Hawaii Family Forum conducted a non-scientific survey of our community from March 27th through April 9.  A whopping 432 people responded!  Not only did you respond in big numbers, over 280 of you left comments!

The survey was anonymous so you are not identified.  If you are interested in the results of that survey, click this link.  

MAHALO TO ALL OF YOU WHO RESPONDED.  STAY TUNED FOR MORE SURVEYS.

TAKE ACTION!

Equality Act Endangers Survivors of Abuse

Craig DeRoche / Amie Ichikawa / April 21, 2021

What do you get when you cross then-Sen. Joe Biden's 1994 "Tough on Crime" bill with President Joe Biden's 2021 Equality Act? Answer: spikes in sexual assault in women's shelters, prisons, and jails.

The so-called Equality Act would allow any person of any age, at any time, to declare what gender they are for any reason. This may sound like a refreshing freedom, but it's actually a spectacular setback after more than a hundred of years of progress in women's civil rights in America.

Under the Equality Act, biological men would be able to request a spot in a women's domestic violence shelter or a transfer to a women's prison, based solely on their self-proclaimed gender identity. This poses a significant threat to vulnerable and hurting women.

Women who have experienced domestic abuse are not a small population. According to TheHotline.org, a phone and chat service that helps victims of domestic violence, 1 in 3 women experience "rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner."

The population of incarcerated women is growing, as well: The Sentencing Project reports a 700% increase in the number of incarcerated women between 1980 and 2019.  This is thanks in no small part to the 1994 Crime Bill authored by Biden and implemented with a heavy hand by then-prosecutor Kamala Harris.

[CLICK TO CONTINUE READING FULL ARTICLE IN HERITAGE FOUNDATION]

Take action now!  Congress continues to discuss the Equality Act in the halls and internal polling and decision-making is happening as we speak.  If you have not done so already, we need you to contact your Senator right now.  It will only take a minute. Even though both Senators (Hirono and Schatz) have been very open and vocal about their support for the Equality Act, they need to hear from you.  Remember, they work for you too!  Even if they disagree with your position.

click to send message

FROM AROUND THE NATION

Bodies of Babies: For Sale?

In 2019 under the auspices of the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) halted all research using tissue from aborted children within National Institutes of Health (NIH) facilities. It also mandated that any federally funded research using abortion-derived tissue in non-NIH facilities needed the approval of the federal "Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board" (note: the NCBC's Fr. Tad Pacholczyk was a member of this board). However, on April 16th, new HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra signaled that the Biden administration was rescinding these restrictions, a reality that NIH subsequently confirmed in two separate communications. NIH first informed its internal scientific and clinical directors that they can once again purchase the bodies of aborted children for taxpayer funded biomedical studies. It then informed non-NIH facilities that they no longer needed the approval of the federal advisory board to perform taxpayer-funded research utilizing aborted fetal tissue. In short, this policy reversal means that the Biden administration is once again forcing US taxpayers to fund research that exploits the bodies of aborted children. For additional perspective, click here.

Judicial Watch has released a report showing that between 2012 and 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "purchased" the bodies of aborted children, some up to twenty-four weeks gestation. The FDA did business with the California-based company Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR). Emails between officials at FDA and ABR reveal that, among other gruesome details, the government paid ABR $12,000 per aborted child and FDA researchers could request a specific sex. The sale of aborted children occurred mostly during the Obama/Biden administration. The Trump Administration terminated the contract with ABR in 2018. Judicial Watch's full report is available here. 

Abortions Requests via Mail

Citing safety concerns related to in-person visits during the coronavirus pandemic, the Biden administration has reversed a Trump Administration policy and now allowing women to receive abortion-inducing drugs during the pandemic without ever physically seeing a physician. On April 12th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a letter to the pro-abortion American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine stating that chemical abortion drug mifepristone can now be prescribed remotely through telemedicine and women can receive it through the mail. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) criticized the action stating: "This move by the FDA is just using COVID-19 as a cover to dispense abortion-induing medication remotely ... This isn't about pandemic caution-it's a political move to increase abortion." Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) specifically called out the White House: "By choosing to waive safety requirements and best practices, the Biden Administration is doing the bidding of the radical abortion lobby to make it easier to get abortion-inducing drugs at the expense of the lives of unborn children and the health of mothers." For more information, click here.

Title X Funding for Planned Parenthood

As part of his January 28, 2021 executive order "Memorandum on Protecting Women's Health at Home and Abroad," Joe Biden instructed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to "review" the Trump Administration's March 2019 rule that barred Title X family planning funds from going to Planned Parenthood and other organizations that refer women for abortion. Now HHS, under Xavier Becerra, has completed its "review" and is proposing a rule change that will allow millions of dollars of Title X funds to once again go to organizations that counsel woman on abortion or refer them for abortion. For further information, click here and here.

Faith in Politics Podcast

Faith in Politics: Recent Episodes

In this episode, we discuss the final question on the Hawaii Family Forum survey (how do you think the pastors and churches did during the pandemic?). In addition, Jim Hochberg gives a breakdown on the things you should know BEFORE you take the vaccine.  

Join Eva Andrade and Jim Hochberg discuss vaccinations and other local issues.

Hawaii Family Forum on the Mike Buck Show

Duke Aiona was the guest host on the Mike Buck show this week.  On Monday, April 19, 2021, Eva was asked to give an update on the session.  Join the discussion as Eva Andrade and Duke discuss the issues tracked by Hawaii Family Forum during this past legislative session.

Listen now.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Support Hawaii Family by Shopping on Amazon Smile!

Want to help make a difference while you shop in the Amazon app, at no extra cost to you? Simply follow the instructions below to select "Hawaii Family Forum" as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. They'll donate a portion of your eligible mobile app purchases to us. 
How it works: 
1. Open the Amazon app on your phone 
2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features 
3. Select "Hawaii Family Forum" as your charity 
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app