Center for Christian Virtue's The Rundown is the most important political and cultural news for Christians in Ohio. Thanks for reading this biweekly newsletter!

What's Happening

Ohio

• Anti-Child, Anti-Woman: The ACLU made headlines this past week for filing two lawsuits, one against HB68–which protects children from the dangers of experimental gender "medicine" and preserves women's sports, and the other against the 24-hour waiting period and informed, free-will consent for women seeking abortions.
  
  

• The Proof is in the Voting: The organization All Voting is Local Ohio has released their analysis of Ohio's provisional ballot rejection rates in light of a new law requiring a photo ID to vote. According to All Voting, the percentage of provisional ballots rejected due to lack of ID in the November 2023 General Election increased to 28.4 percent, more than 20 points higher than in 2022. Despite All Voting's claims to the contrary, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Nugent determined in January that the ID requirement "imposes no more than a minimal burden, if any, for the vast majority of voters," and noted that the tighter timeline for absentee voting is still more generous than 30 other states. Considering Ohio citizens need a photo ID to register to vote, all voters should have a photo ID before they cast any ballot. With recent election integrity issues piling up in states like New York and Illinois, the increased number of rejected ballots in Ohio indicates the law is doing exactly what it was meant to do: increase election integrity.
  
  

• Even More Indictments: Last week, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced 10 new state felony indictments against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, an addition to the FBI investigation that landed Householder in prison for 20 years. The charges allege misuse of campaign money and ethics violations, which could result in a permanent ban from Householder ever again holding public office in Ohio. CCV's podcast The Narrative has the background information on the bribery scandal surrounding Householder. 

US

• What Health Standards? The US Supreme Court held arguments on a highly contentious case surrounding abortion drugs in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. Alliance Defending Freedom is representing four national medical associations and four individual doctors against the FDA for recklessly removing safety standards for pregnant women who use the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. You can listen to the recent oral arguments here. With chemical abortions surpassing surgical abortions and some states allowing providers like CVS and Walgreens to dispense abortion drugs over the counter, the SCOTUS decision may have extensive effects.
  
  

• "No, Not THAT Choice": In response to a growing number of women dropping their birth control pills, The Washington Post released articles which, citing each other as proof, alleged there has been a "misinformation explosion" regarding birth control, including a "cascade of misleading videos vilifying hormonal contraception" on social media. Dr. Sarah E. Hill, the author of "This Is Your Brain On Birth Control: The Surprising Science Of Women, Hormones, And The Law Of Unintended Consequences," wrote a scientific commentary in response to The Washington Post.
  
  

• Get Married, Seriously: Brad Wilcox, author of "Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization," responds to critics of marriage who claim that it's a "death sentence to men" by sharing the facts that men who get married generally live longer, have more intimacy, make more money, and enjoy happier lives than their unmarried counterparts.
  
  

• What Else Are Schools For? Evidence shows that school administrators in New York City agreed to house illegal aliens at a local High School without including parents in the discussion. The high school’s principal even met with officials from the city’s Education Department to discuss the plan to turn the school into a temporary housing facility.

World

• Russian Labels: In a stark contrast to the Biden administration's ideology, Russia has added the "LGBT movement" to its list of extremist and terror organizations, aligning with a decision from the Russian Supreme Court last year. 

Listen Up

The Narrative Podcast: Elections, EdChoice, and Engagement: Are Ohio elections safe? Will EdChoice expansion dilute Christian schools' ability to preach the Gospel and provide a wholesome environment? How can we disagree with love when fellow Christians take different positions on how to respond to LGBT-identifying friends or family What are practical steps we can take to positively impact our culture?

Listen anywhere you get your podcasts!

Worldview Development

As a Christian, it can be hard to know how to engage with social-political conversations. Here are our top recommendations this week for developing your worldview to be equipped to tackle today's top issues:

• Why More Americans (and Christians) Now Support Same-Sex "Marriage" by John Stonestreet and Jared Hayden
  Law is also a teacher. When something is legal, it becomes more socially acceptable. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell not only reflected cultural beliefs, but it also spread them. This explains the increasing acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex "marriage," both within the Church and without. Though a majority of those who attend church faithfully still hold to the Christian view of marriage between one man and one woman, it is a shrinking majority. 
  
  
  

• The Decline Of Christianity Means The End Of Neutral Spaces by John Daniel Davidson
  What comes amid the decline of the Christian faith is not some live-and-let-live secular liberal utopia, not a rational and atheistic political order with neutral public spaces and a culture of tolerance. Instead, we have a new form of paganism with its own moral precepts, obligations, and rites. And unlike the secular liberal order, which embraced tolerance and pluralism as an inheritance from Christianity, the pagan order will be intolerant in the extreme.
  
  

Legislative Update

The Ohio General Assembly is back in session and CCV-backed bills are continuing through the legislative process.

• HB295 – The Innocence Act
  Bill sponsor Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Township) gave testimony on the Innocence Act earlier today before the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee during the bill's first hearing. The Innocence Act aims to protect children from the porn industry by requiring Ohioans to provide ID for age verification when accessing obscene websites. The Innocence Act also prohibits a person’s image from being used against their will to create sexual content, such as “deepfakes” made using artificial intelligence. 

Take a moment to review where other CCV-backed legislation currently stands in the 135th General Assembly.

Click here to learn how a bill becomes a law in Ohio.

Resources & Opportunities

• CCV's OCEN Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO)
  It's your last chance to donate to Christian or Catholic school scholarships and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $750 per individual! CCV's Ohio Christian Education Network runs an SGO for our member schools, and you can donate by April 15 and apply it to your 2023 taxes.

Don't Miss

• CCV's Columbus Celebration Gala with Vivek Ramaswamy
  Join us for an evening of music, inspiration, and fellowship with Vivek Ramaswamy at our 2024 Columbus Celebration Gala on Tuesday, April 16! For more information including purchasing table sponsorships or tickets, go to CCV.org/ColumbusGala.
  
  

• CCV's Cincinnati Celebration Gala with Riley Gaines and Chloe Cole
  Join us for an evening of music, inspiration, and fellowship with Riley Gaines and Chloe Cole at our 2024 Cincinnati Celebration Gala on Tuesday, May 7! For more information including purchasing table sponsorships or tickets, go to CCV.org/CincinnatiGala.
  
  

• Persuasive Prolife: Apologetics Conference for Students
  
  

  Are you scared to talk about abortion? Almost everyone is. We think the subject is too impolite, we don’t want to be branded an intolerant fanatic, or we’re afraid we won’t represent the pro-life side well enough. Whatever the reason for this fear, it causes many of us to pass up opportunities to speak out on behalf of the unborn. This conference will help you overcome this fear and equip you to become a bold and effective apologist for life.
  
  CCV is a cosponsor of this event on Saturday, May 18, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm, on the campus of OSU. Learn more and register now at ohiolife.org/tickets.

Prayer

Scripture calls us to pray for those in authority and to have confidence that God hears our prayers. Join the CCV team this week in praying for the below intentions.

• Our elected officials: Sen. Al Landis (R-Dover), US Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Cincinnati), Sen. George Lang (R-West Chester Twp.), Rep. Jeffrey LaRe (R-Canal Winchester), Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and US Rep. Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena), and Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Plain Township).
  
  

• Continue to pray for the churches that are planning to plant schools this fall. Finding qualified teachers and beginning enrollment are critical steps during this time.
  
  

• Continue to pray for our policy team to be filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit with all wisdom and courage, and to lean on the Lord for guidance and strategy.

As Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.

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