Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law Wednesday a bill he said protects women’s rights but that pro-lifers said rolls backs protections for the unborn by declaring abortion a “fundamental right.”

The so-called Reproductive Health Act (S.B. 25) declares the “fetus does not have independent rights” and changes the definition of viability so as to protect fewer unborn babies. It also requires health insurance plans to cover abortion and forces parents to pay for their minor daughter’s abortion — even if they opposed her having one.

The pro-life group Live Action called it a “dark day” and said the law was “worse” than the controversial law passed in New York earlier this year.

The law “legalizes abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, up to the moment of birth, for any reason,” said Illinois Right to Life.

Pritzker said the law puts the decision-making in the “hands of women and their doctors.”

“In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women’s health,” he said. “… The Reproductive Health Act ensures that women’s rights in Illinois do not hinge on the fate of Roe v. Wade, or the whims of an increasingly conservative Supreme Court. In this state, women will always have the right to reproductive health…

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill into law this week that would require some sex offenders to undergo chemical castration as a condition of their parole. If a sex offenders victim was under the age of 13, he would have to begin treatments designed to block or suppress testosterone production at his own expense for as long as the state deems necessary, though allowance is made for those who are not able to afford the treatments, which can cost $1,000 a month.

Republican Representative Steve Hurst, who sponsored the bill, had been working to get this bill or one like it passed for over a decade. He told al.com, “Not only did I want it to pass, I want to follow it on through to the future where we can try to improve it. One of the ultimate goals that I want to do is for us to track it and to make sure what medication works for what individuals.”

The law would affect those who commit offenses after September 1 of this year. Offenders would be able to choose to stop receiving the medication and return to prison to serve the rest of their sentence. Those who stopped receiving treatment without approval could face up to 10 years in prison.

Alabama joined seven other states who have similar laws on the books. California was the first state to pass a similar measure, which Governor Jerry Brown signed into law in 1996. Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin are among the…

Australian police have shut down almost 200 daycare centers after discovering the private businesses were linked to the Islamic state, motorcycle gangs and fraud schemes.

According to The Daily Mail, 114 of the nearly 200 daycares were in the suburbs of southwest Sydney. Another 49 centers were in the Canterbury-Bankstown area, 25 in Liverpool, 23 in Fairfield and 17 in Auburn.

Police also say they arrested the director of one of the daycare centers at the Sydney airport. Police have speculated that he was leaving to fight for the Islamic State.

A 28-year-old man, Hussain Dandachi, was arrested after an investigation found he was involved in a $27 million fraud scheme where the money was being funneled to the Islamic State.

Dandachi pled guilty to doctoring fake invoices of about $100,000 for children who were not at his daycare. He was sentenced to 10 months in jail.

The Daily Telegraph also reported that another daycare was being operated in a house with no electricity.

The Fairfield-based Red Roses Family Day Care company was raided by police in May. Eighteen people were arrested as part of a $4 million fraud.

Police also say they are looking for some 150 parents who allegedly sold their children’s identities to help Red Roses qualify for government subsidies.

The Australian government says it will save about $674 million because they will not be paying for…

With Scripture passages scribbled on scraps of paper and smuggled into prison, Chinese Christians imprisoned for their faith are memorizing the entire Bible.  

“…Even though they can take the paper away, they can’t take what’s hidden in your heart,” a woman who had been imprisoned said, according to the Christian Post. 

On a recent trip to China, pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, held a leadership training where he learned about these Christian’s love for Scripture. Out of the 22 attendees to the training, 18 of them had been imprisoned for their faith. 

If Cordeiro, an American, had been caught at the training, he would have been deported within 24 hours. But the fate would have been much worse for the attendees: three years in prison. 

In a recent sermon, Cordeiro shared the depth of these Christian’s understanding of Scripture. 

At the beginning of the lesson, he realized that they only had 15 Bibles for the 22 participants. 

But it didn’t matter. When he asked the audience to turn to 2 Peter 1, he noticed that one lady handed her Bible to the woman next to her. Cordeiro realized that she had memorized the whole book.  

“When it was done, I went over to her at a break and said, ‘You recited the whole chapter,’” he said. 

“In prison, you have…