The Rundown: UK Supreme Court rules men aren't women!
Center for Christian Virtue's The Rundown is the most important political and cultural news for Christians in Ohio. If you find this newsletter insightful, don't forget to share it!
What's Happening
Ohio
A Promising Budget: Last week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed its version of the biennial State Operating Budget, and it has more than 15 CCV-backed measures to benefit students and families. Some of the highlights include protecting children from online obscene content, teaching students about the "Success Sequence," a tax credit for donating to Pregnancy Resource Centers, defining that there are only two sexes, and requiring reporting on both chemical and surgical abortions.
One Way or Another: While the draft budget currently contains a measure that would require public schools to ban cell phones, Sen. Jane Timken (R-Jackson Township) has introduced a standalone bill, Senate Bill 158. Governor Mike DeWine hosted a press conference last week in support of the bill alongside several other key supporters. Compared to the budget draft, the bill would expedite the implementation timeline to this fall.
Law at Last! The Parents' Bill of Rights, House Bill 8 from the 135th General Assembly that Governor DeWine signed into law in January, went into effect last week. With the law now effective, Worthington and Westerville schools brought back their religious released time policies to ensure students can receive religious education during the school day.
No Longer Law: Yesterday, US District Court Judge Algenon Marbley permanently struck down Ohio’s law requiring parental consent for children under 16 to create social media accounts. Social media giants including Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, Snapchat parent Snap Inc., and TikTok challenged the 2023 law, alleging that it was unconstitutionally vague and violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office is reviewing the decision and has 30 days to take action.
US
Spreading the Gospel: Last week, CCV announced the launch of the United States Christian Education Network (USCEN) under the leadership of Executive Director Todd Marrah. USCEN's mission is to launch and support state-based public policy associations to advocate for the protection and expansion of Christian education at statehouses across America, based on the model of CCV's Ohio Christian Education Network.
Keeping It Straight: Last week, Kansas and Arkansas passed bills to ensure religious families have the right to participate in state adoption and foster care programs. The Kansas legislature had to override their governor's veto of the bill to pass it into law, protecting potential foster and adoptive parents from discrimination if they acknowledge that sex cannot be changed.
Commiefornia: A California school punished a first grader for writing "Black Lives Mater [sic] … any life" on a drawing and giving it to a friend after a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr. The discipline measures included apologizing to her friend—though neither understood why, banning her from drawing at school, and banning her from recess for two weeks, all without notifying her parents. Pacific Legal Foundation is representing the family in B.B. v. Capistrano Unified School District, et al., which is now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals after a lower court sided with the school.
World
OK in the UK: In yet another win for reality, the UK Supreme Court has ruled that men aren't women, even if they identify as transgender. The ruling also clarifies that men cannot be legally recognized as women even if they have a gender recognition certificate of a "transgender" identity.
Banning Holy Week: The Nicaraguan dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his "co-president" and wife, Rosario Murillo, is supposedly deploying 14,000 police officers to prevent Catholic processions during Holy Week, the third year in a row for the ban. The regime's persecution of Catholics has also included surveillance within churches and exiling and interrogating priests and other religious leaders.
From the President
Listen Up: Family Matters: The Decline of Black Families with Delano Squires
Strong families are the foundation of a strong society. So how do we rebuild?
In this episode of The Narrative, Delano Squires from The Heritage Foundation walks through the parallels between CCV's marriage and family report, Hope and a Future, and Heritage's report, Crossroads.
Delano also candidly shares about the decline of marriage and dives deep into the cultural and biblical dynamics behind the breakdown of the black family.
Worldview Development
As a Christian, whether Evangelical or Catholic, knowing how to engage in social-political conversations can be hard. Here is our top recommendation this week for developing your worldview to be equipped to tackle today's top issues:
Obergefell After 10 Years by John Stonestreet and Katy Faust
Marketed largely as a matter of adult practicality and equality, same-sex "marriage" was sold as a remedy for inequities in insurance coverage and hospital visitation rights. For it to advance culturally and legally required de-coupling the institution from its historic public purpose, which is the creation and rearing of children. And if kids were brought into the conversation, dozens of hastily compiled "studies" were at the ready to assure the courts that children with two moms or two dads fared "no different" than those raised by their own married mother and father. But these studies, though widely publicized, were methodologically flawed, employing small sample sizes, utilizing recruited rather than randomly derived participants, and often relying on parental opinion ("gay fathers report") rather than objective child outcomes.
Who Gets to Define a ‘Healthy’ Baby? by Rachel Roth Aldhizer
Christians should be the first to reject these insidious technologies of embryonic screens as contrary to the upside-down logic of God's kingdom. Participation in such screenings is a moral evil. Exerting such control over our most precious biological processes and claiming we know best echoes the first sin, repackaged for today's historical moment.
Legislative Update
Ohio DOGE
About 25 Republican members of the Ohio House say they are taking a deeper look at efficiency in Ohio government with their own "DOGE" Caucus, starting with the state budget. Rep. Tex Fischer (R-Youngstown), the caucus chair, said the first item they have tackled was going through Gov. DeWine's executive budget, looking for potential cost savings and "ensuring that state government isn't engaged in any type of mission creep, getting into spaces where we don't necessarily need to be."
Death Penalty
Attorney General Dave Yost has turned to his federal counterpart, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Trump administration to break the stalemate between Ohio's executive and judicial branches over an Ohio death penalty he describes as "paralyzed" during Gov. DeWine's term in office.
Elections
Testifying in Congress
Secretary of State Frank LaRose testified before the US House Committee on Administration, discussing Ohio's management of the 2024 general election and the processes that make Ohio a national leader in election administration. He also called on Congress to assist with making federal citizenship records available to states for use in maintaining accurate voter registration records.
Campaign Funds
After some tweaks made from the previous meeting, the Ohio Elections Commission approved an advisory opinion that would allow state lawmakers to spend campaign funds on renting an apartment while in Columbus on official business.
Voter Registration Forms
Election law changes made in 135-HB74 took effect this week, including a prohibition on distributing pre-populated voter registration and absentee ballot request forms by third-party organizations and codification of the post-election audit process as implemented by Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
Unclaimed Funds
The Ohio Department of Commerce (DOC) Division of Unclaimed Funds recently announced the launch of a new system meant to make it easier and faster for Ohioans to search for and recover unclaimed funds held by the division. The state currently has around $4.8 billion in such funds, which come from dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks and bonds, utility deposits, and unclaimed wages. It returned over $149.6 million to Ohioans through 26,420 claims in 2024 and holds that money indefinitely.
Take a moment to review where all of the CCV-backed bills currently stand in the 136th General Assembly!
Click here to learn how a bill becomes a law in Ohio.
Elections
Early in-person and absentee voting has begun for the Primary Election on Tuesday, May 6. There are no statewide offices on the ballot for the primary, but there will be a statewide ballot measure called Issue 2 to allow the state to issue up to $2.5 billion in general obligation bonds to assist local governments in funding public infrastructure projects.
Important Dates
Tuesday, April 29: Boards of Elections must receive applications for absentee ballots by the close of business.
Tuesday, May 6: Primary Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm.*
To Do:
Are you registered to vote? You can easily register to vote or update your voter registration information online at olvr.ohiosos.gov.
Review what's on your ballot. Each county Board of Elections office has a list of the candidates and issues appearing on your ballot.
Learn more about Ohio elections, request an absentee ballot, and more here.
*Please note: a photo ID is required to cast a ballot. View accepted forms of ID.
Don't Miss
Friday, May 9
Cincinnati Celebration Gala with Sage Steele
Join us for an elegant evening at our Cincinnati Celebration Gala, where you'll enjoy fine dining, receive the latest updates on Ohio politics, and hear about CCV's strategic efforts to strengthen marriage and family. This is an excellent opportunity to connect with hundreds of candidates, legislators, business leaders, ministry professionals, and passionate advocates from across Ohio.
Don’t miss this powerful, faith-centered event with Sage Steele, host of The Sage Steele Show and former ESPN sportscaster! Sponsor a table today.
Saturday, May 10
Columbus Celebration Gala with Ohio US Senators
Can't make the Cincinnati Gala? You're invited to join us in Columbus for dinner and the latest updates on Ohio politics and CCV's efforts to strengthen marriage and family, with Ohio US Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted as the keynote presenters! Sponsor a table.
Friday, October 3
2025 Ohio March for Life
Our fourth annual statewide march for life will take place on Friday, October 3. Learn more and register to stay up to date here!
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.
Let's honor 1 Timothy 2 by praying for Sen. George Lang (R-West Chester), who just got back after radiation treatment for recurrent cancer. Sen. Lang beat a Stage III colorectal cancer battle around six years ago, though it is now in recurrence, so he is pursuing an "aggressive plan of both experimental, natural as well as chemotherapy and radiation protocols..."
Praise the Lord—we now have four new team members! We ask that this season of transition would be an opportunity for a new outpouring of God's grace and a broader outreach across Ohio.
With Easter this weekend, join us in praying for all who have fallen away from the faith and those who have never known the love of Jesus. Invite someone to attend church with you this weekend!
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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