Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Tuesday that requires consent from a parent or guardian before a minor receives an abortion.

The new law, which went into effect Wednesday, also increases the criminal penalty from a misdemeanor to a felony for any doctor who doesn’t assist an infant who is born alive during an abortion. The doctor is required to transport the baby to a hospital.

The legislation passed the Florida House 75-43 and the Senate 23-17.

Florida Senate President Bill Galvano said the law was needed.

“The serious and irrevocable decision to end a pregnancy involves undergoing a significant medical procedure that results, in many cases, in lifelong emotional and physical impacts,” Galvano said. “The parents of a minor child considering an abortion must be involved in such a substantial and permanent decision.”

The new law says a physician “must obtain written consent from a parent or legal guardian” before “performing or inducing the termination of a pregnancy of a minor.”

The law also allows for a judicial bypass.

“For those who are in a situation of abuse or where parental consent is not in the child’s best interest, the bill provides a judicial waiver process that still involves the intervention of an adult,” Galvano said.

If the consent law is violated, the doctor – not the minor – would be prosecuted.

Florida Rep. Erin Grall

After 126 years, the Mississippi state flag will be changed in order to remove the Confederate symbol it is currently displaying.

In a state where 38 percent of the population is Black, Mississippi is the last state in the U.S. to feature a symbol that many view as racist.

The historic decision came on Sunday afternoon by Mississippi Lawmakers, who voted the bill in succession. CBN News reported that the vote in the Mississippi House was passed 91-23 and the vote in the Senate was 37-14 with bipartisan support.

Republican Governor Tate Reeves also expressed his support noting that he will sign the bill following the decision. An official date for the signing has yet to be determined.

Prior to the decision, amid civil unrest, calls to remove the Confederate symbol from the flag increased. Political, business, religious and sports groups also demonstrated support.

Earlier in June, thousands of people cheered as an organizer of a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Reeves’ house urged Mississippi officials to part ways with all Confederate symbols.

As Christian Headlines previously reported, religious groups, such as the influential Mississippi Baptist Convention, also called for the removal of the Confederate symbol, calling it a “moral issue.”

Business groups also pointed to the controversial emblem for impeding the state’s economic development. Mississippi is one of the poorest…

Iran petitioned Interpol for help in arresting President Donald Trump on Monday.

Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr accused the President and 35 other officials of killing Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike on January 3, saying Trump faces “murder and terrorism charges.”

The AP reported that Interpol later rejected the arrest warrant and “would not consider requests of this nature.” But the charges highlight ongoing contention between Iran and the United States, largely sparked by Trump’s withdrawal of support for Tehran’s nuclear deal.

Despite Interpol’s denial, Alquasimehr pledged that Iran would continue to seek out the President and other high-ranking officials. Tehran Attorney General Ali Alqasi Mehr promised to prosecute Trump as soon as his presidency concludes, according to CNN.

Alquasimehr also requested a “red notice” from Interpol, which can limit the suspect’s travel. Other countries are not required to enforce the notice and Interpol is unlikely to honor that request as well.

US special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, found the warrant “foolish,” calling it a “propaganda stunt.” Iran’s request also violated Interpol’s constitution which “strictly [forbids] for the organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.”

A US drone killed Soleimani at the Baghdad International Airport earlier this…

June 30, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Legislation passed by parliament in Iran could make it easier to arrest and imprison Christians and other religious minorities, rights advocates said.

Under amendments to articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, those found guilty of “deviant psychological manipulation” or “propaganda contrary to Islam,” whether in the “real or virtual sphere,” could be labeled as “sects,” according to advocacy group Article 18.

The law enables the regime to ban any group as a sect and may lead to punishment that could be escalated to include the death penalty, said Hamid Garagozloo, U.S. representative of The International Organization to Preserve Human Rights (IOPHR), while moderating a recent webinar panel discussion with representatives of religious minorities who could be affected by the law.

Expanding the margin for Iranian authorities to justify discriminatory actions against Christian converts, the law would make it more difficult for lawyers to defend them and other religious minorities, according to a Middle East expert at advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

While the amendment has been in the pipeline for two years, it was recently approved by parliament in the middle of May, according to a researcher at advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC).

“The last couple of weeks, religious minorities have started to…

Hindu nationalists have unleashed a wave of torment and oppression to the Body of Christ in recent weeks as COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted in India.

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), a Christian based human rights organization, in just two weeks, there have been at least eight incidents of Hindu nationalists threatening and physically assaulting Christians as well as inflicting damage to Christian owned properties.

One incident in particular had a pastor suffer a brutal beatdown by a mob of nearly 150 Hindus as he was praying for a sick person on the morning of June 21.

“They kicked me like they would kick a football,” Pastor Suresh Rao told ICC. “They dragged me into the street and pushed me to the ground. There, they started to trample on me.”

He continued, “They tore my clothes, kicked me all over my body, and punched my left eye. I have sustained a serious eye injury as a result of a blood clot.”

Pastor Rao, who also functions as a church planter, noted that the mob told him that he was conducting illegal conversions of Hindus to Christians.

“They said that India is a Hindu nation, and there is no place for Christians,” Rao explained.

“I am prepared for this kind of eventuality,” Pastor Rao, who has dealt with multiple counts of persecution beforehand. “I know the cost of serving Jesus in these remote…

The U.S. Supreme Court handed supporters of school choice and private religious schools a major victory Tuesday, ruling that a Montana tax credit scholarship program does not violate the federal constitution if the money is used by parents for religious schooling.

At issue was a Montana program that gives individuals a tax credit up to $150 each year for donating to privately run student scholarship organizations. Those organizations then award scholarships to parents who send their children to private schools of their choice.

The Montana Supreme Court struck down the program and ruled it violated the state constitution because the money can be used for religious schools. The state constitution prohibits religious schools receiving government money in either a “direct or indirect” way. It’s sometimes called the “no aid provision” or the Blaine Amendment.

Parents of children who attended a Christian school in northwestern Montana brought the suit and then filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Chief Justice John Roberts, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that the state’s application of the Montana constitution discriminated against religious schools and families in violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Roberts was joined in the opinion by the court’s conservative justices: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil…