“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” –Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

Dear Friends:

Wedding cakes, abortion pills, the Family Prosperity Index, and an Irish referendum – these are some of the hot topics in recent news that relate to our core issues at Family Policy Alliance of New Mexico; and, as such, we present to you this week another rendition of  “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The Good. Recently, we witnessed two significant court victories in cases involving religious freedom and life. Earlier this month, a California Superior Court Judge issued final judgment in favor of a local baker who respectfully declined to make a same-sex wedding cake on the basis of her Christian beliefs. In his original ruling, the Judge wrote: “The right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment outweighs the State’s interest in ensuring a freely accessible marketplace. The right of freedom of thought guaranteed by the First Amendment includes the right to speak, and the right to refrain from speaking. Sometimes the most profound protest is silence.”

In life news, the U.S. Supreme Court this week rejected an appeal from Planned Parenthood challenging Arkansas’ abortion pill law. The law requires doctors who provide abortion pills to contract with a physician with admitting privileges, willing to handle any complications that arise.

The Bad. Last week, Ireland decisively voted to repeal one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the world. Sadly, this is the exact language the people of Ireland voted to remove from their constitution: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

The Ugly. This month, the Family Prosperity Initiative released its annual Index ranking all 50 states. Unfortunately, our beloved New Mexico was ranked dead last overall and dead last in 3 of the 6 major indexes – Family Self-Sufficiency, Family Structure, and Family Culture.

As is often the case, we continue to have reasons to celebrate, reasons to mourn, and reasons to be concerned. Stories like these demonstrate two realities – (1) our efforts matter, and (2) we still have much work to do, especially right here in New Mexico. The truth is, we cannot control what happens in other countries and, in many ways, we cannot even control what happens in Washington D.C. or the courts. We can, however, have an impact locally.

This is why Family Policy Alliance of New Mexico exists, and together, with you and our local allies, we are making a difference! The Apostle Paul states in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Folks – I believe we are “doing good.” I also believe now is the “season.” And I believe “we will reap” – so long as we don’t “give up.”

Together, onward, upward, and for His glory,

Vince Torres
President and Executive Director