Steve West

Steve is a graduate of the World Journalism Institute mid-career course.

Christian doctors between a rock and hard place

First Amendment | Court rejects HHS conscience protections for medical professionals

by Steve West
Posted 11/12/19, 04:48 pm

A federal court in New York last week threw out a new Trump administration rule protecting health care professionals who decline to participate in medical procedures that violate their religious conscience, in particular, abortion. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, in a 147-page opinion, said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not have the authority to issue the new rule, that was set to take effect on Nov. 22.

Court clears narrow path for religious liberty

Religious Liberty | Kentucky justices rule in favor of one Christian business owner

by Steve West
Posted 11/05/19, 02:37 pm

The Kentucky Supreme Court vindicated a Christian printer who didn’t want to print pro-LGBT messages, but the victory may prove hollow. The court dismissed an LGBT organization’s discrimination claims last Thursday but left significant free speech questions unanswered.

Inside voices outside abortion centers

First Amendment | Court allows pro-life sidewalk counselors inside free speech buffer zones

by Steve West
Posted 10/29/19, 03:11 pm

A federal appeals court on Oct. 18 gave pro-life sidewalk counselors outside a Pittsburgh abortion facility the green light to enter the so-called “bubble zone.” Pro-life volunteers who want to speak with women entering the abortion facility can now stand closer to the door and don’t have to raise their voices to be heard, said Nikki Bruni, Pittsburgh director of 40 Days for Life. She and other volunteers tell women about nearby clinics that provide free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted disease testing, and other help.

Court decision protects religious healthcare workers

Religious Liberty | Judge upholds right of faith-based providers to opt out of transgender surgeries and abortions

Steve West | 10/22/19, 04:22 pm

A federal judge last week struck down an Obama-era regulation that required medical professionals to perform abortions and gender-transition procedures despite their religious convictions. The decision comes as a relief to Christian physicians like Mike Chupp, a general surgeon in Bristol, Tenn. Chupp, who is also CEO of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) said that if the 2017 rule stood, it might have required him to perform surgeries against his Christian convictions such as a mastectomy on a teenage girl who identified as a boy.

Bible class booted from West Virginia schools

Religious Liberty | Supreme Court declines to review decision nixing a long-standing curriculum

Steve West | 10/15/19, 02:37 pm

A Bible class taught for decades in Mercer County, W.Va., public schools has little hope of revival after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

War over pronouns

Religious Liberty | Teacher sues school that fired him for sticking to his religious beliefs

Steve West | 10/08/19, 03:30 pm

A popular Virginia teacher sued the school for firing him after he refused to use male pronouns to address a female student who identified as transgender.

A win for religious adoption workers and families

Religious Liberty | Court halts Michigan rules targeting a faith-based child-placing agency

Steve West | 10/01/19, 05:32 pm

Faith-based foster and adoption agencies received a boost late last week when a federal court in Michigan said they could continue to place children exclusively in families that have Biblical beliefs about marriage. U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker ruled a state regulation requiring faith-based agencies to place children with unmarried or same-sex couples targeted the agencies’ religious beliefs. He temporarily blocked the rule while arguments in the case proceed to trial.

Religious liberty gaining momentum in court

Religious Liberty | An Arizona Supreme Court ruling could influence other cases

Steve West | 9/24/19, 04:07 pm

The Arizona Supreme Court last week rebuked states and municipalities that overzealously enforce anti-discrimination laws.

A positive sign for religious therapists

Religious Liberty | New York City seeks to withdraw ‘conversion therapy’ ban

Steve West | 9/17/19, 03:27 pm

Faced with a likely legal defeat, the New York City Council is thinking about repealing an ordinance banning so-called “gay conversion therapy.”

The right to say no

Religious Liberty | HHS defends Vermont nurse’s right not to participate in abortion

Steve West | 9/03/19, 05:43 pm

In its statement of values, the University of Vermont Medical Center says it respects “the dignity of all individuals” and promises to respond to their spiritual needs. Yet in one respect, it appears to have fallen short: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources notified the Burlington, Vt., hospital last week it violated federal law when it forced an operating room nurse to assist with an abortion against her religious beliefs.