Clergy file suit over Missouri abortion ban, arguing it establishes a religion

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2 years ago

January 20, 2023

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(RNS) — An interfaith group of clergy has filed a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s strict abortion ban, arguing the statute violates the state’s constitution by imposing one set of religious values on all residents.

Advocates announced the lawsuit on Thursday (Jan. 19) from the sanctuary of Christ Church Cathedral, an Episcopal church in St. Louis.

“The Missouri Constitution ensures a strict separation of church and state,” the Rev. Traci Blackmon, a local pastor and denominational official with the United Church of Christ, said at the news conference. “Our elected officials have violated their oath to uphold that constitution by weaponizing religious beliefs to deny abortion access in a state where studies prove these actions are not the will of the majority of the people.”

Blackmon, who is also a plaintiff in the case, later added: “I am not here to debate the morality of abortion with anyone. I’m here to defend women and birthing people’s right not to have to.” RELATED: As Roe falls, religious abortion-rights advocates prepare for next steps

The lawsuit targets a 2019 Missouri law that permits abortion only in a medical emergency. One of many state-level “trigger” laws, the ban was inert until the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, upending nearly 50 years of nationwide abortion access and returning the debate to the states.

Plaintiffs argue the ban reflects a specific religious understanding of abortion, noting that some lawmakers openly invoked religious rhetoric while promoting the bill and even wrote theological arguments into the legislation: The law refers to “Almighty God” as the “author of life” and contends “the life of an individual human being begins at conception.”

“State officials have weaponized their religious beliefs to control the bodies and deny the autonomy of women and all who can become pregnant, jeopardizing their health, lives, and futures,” the lawsuit reads.

Those involved with the suit hail from an array of religious traditions that don’t preach blanket opposition abortion theologically or, in some cases, even require it under certain circumstances. In addition to UCC ministers such as Blackmon, plaintiffs include leaders from Modern Orthodox and Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist ministers, an Episcopal bishop and the Rev. Barbara Phifer — a retired United Methodist minister and state representative.

“Simply put, when Missouri lawmakers explicitly state that life begins at conception, that is a theological statement,” said Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis. “That is a religious statement. That is not a Jewish statement, and it violates the Missouri Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of religion.”

A group of religious leaders challenging Missouri’s abortion law poses together Jan. 19, 2023, in St. Louis. Photo courtesy of Americans United

The plaintiffs are backed by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State as well as the National Women’s Law Center. The law firm Arnold and Porter is also lending its legal muscle to the case.

AU head Rachel Laser, who previously worked at the National Women’s Law Center, acknowledged some may be “surprised” to see the lawsuit unveiled at a cathedral. But she and other speakers highlighted support for abortion rights among people of faith: A majority of adherents to most major religious traditions in the U.S. — including Catholics, mainline Protestants and Black Protestants — support making abortion legal in all or most cases, according to recent polls. RELATED: With Roe in peril, abortion rights advocates prepare appeals to religious liberty

“The truth is that religious extremists and their lawmaker allies have waged a coordinated disinformation campaign to call all things that advance equality anti-religion or anti-Christian,” Laser said during the news conference. “Well, today’s lawsuit proves them wrong.“

The effort is the latest in a series of legal challenges filed by people of faith against state-level abortion bans across the country. Faith leaders in Florida, Kentucky and elsewhere have sued to stop abortion prohibitions in their states, often led by Jewish Americans who argue their tradition has long taught that abortion is not only permitted, but sometimes required.

But while some of those legal challenges argued for religious exemptions from abortion bans, the lawsuit filed by Missouri clergy takes a different approach by insisting the entire ban should be rendered void because it imposes specific religious beliefs on all Missourians. At least one lawsuit touting a similar argument halted an abortion ban in Utah last year, and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor made reference to the idea in December 2021 during oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade.

“The issue of when life begins has been hotly debated by philosophers since the beginning of time — it’s still debated in religions,” Sotomayor said during an exchange with a lawyer. “So, when you say this is the only right that takes away from the state the ability to protect a life, that’s a religious view, isn’t it?” Share Tweet Share

Politics

Argentine lawyer requests Interpol red notice for LIBRA creator: Report

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3 hours ago

March 13, 2025

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Argentine lawyer requests Interpol red notice for LIBRA creator: Report

Argentine lawyer Gregorio Dalbon has reportedly asked for a global arrest warrant to be issued for Hayden Davis, the co-creator of the LIBRA token that caused a political scandal in the country.

Dalbon submitted a request to prosecutor Eduardo Taiano and judge María Servini, who are probing President Javier Milei’s involvement in the memecoin, seeking for an Interpol Red Notice to be issued for Davis, local outlets Página 12 and Perfil reported on March 11.

Dalbon said in the filing that there was a “procedural risk” if Davis remained free as he could have access to vast amounts of money that would allow him to either flee the US or go into hiding.

“His central role in the creation and promotion of the $LIBRA cryptocurrency, coupled with the international impact of the case, increases the likelihood that he will take steps to evade justice,” the document reportedly stated.

Dalbon, who represented former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in her corruption case, asked for Davis’ arrest and for “an Interpol red notice [to] be issued in order to locate and arrest him, with a view to his extradition.”

Interpol is the biggest international police organization and can issue Red Notices that request law enforcement agencies around the world to locate and provisionally arrest someone.

LIBRA is a token that Milei shared across his social media accounts just minutes after its creation on Feb. 14, which catapulted it to a peak value of over $4 billion. The token’s creators held most of the supply and quickly sold their holdings, which caused the token’s price to crash, with many claiming the token was a pump-and-dump scheme.

Days later, various lawyers reportedly filed fraud charges against Milei in an Argentine criminal court for promoting the token, while other lawyers reported the president for financial crimes to local authorities and to the US Justice Department.

Milei has claimed he didn’t “promote” the LIBRA token and insisted he just “spread the word” about it.

In a lengthy interview days after LIBRA’s collapse with YouTuber Stephen Findeisen, better known as “Coffeezilla,” Davis defended the token as a failure rather than a scam.

Davis and his firm, Kelsier Ventures, were the biggest winners from the LIBRA token launch. He claimed to Findeisen that he netted around $100 million but said he didn’t own the tokens and wouldn’t be selling them.

It was later reported that he sent a text message bragging about being able to pay Milei’s sister, Karina Milei, to have the president share the memecoin’s details on X. Davis later said he had no record of this on his phone and denied making payments to the Mileis.

Magazine: Influencers shilling memecoin scams face severe legal consequences

Politics

Ripple secures Dubai license to offer crypto payments in UAE

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3 hours ago

March 13, 2025

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Ripple secures Dubai license to offer crypto payments in UAE

Blockchain payment provider Ripple received full regulatory approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to offer cross-border crypto payment services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The company announced on March 13 that it had secured its DFSA license, allowing it to operate in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), a UAE free-economic zone with its own tax policies and regulatory framework.

The announcement came almost six months after the company announced its receipt of an in-principle approval of the DFSA license. On Oct. 1, 2024, Ripple revealed that it was working to become licensed by the DFSA as it aimed to roll out its digital asset infrastructure in the UAE.

Enabling blockchain-based global payments for UAE businesses

With this license, Ripple can now provide its global blockchain-based payment solutions to businesses across the UAE. The company said this allows it to cater to financial institutions looking for partners to help them use digital assets in real-world applications.

In a news release sent to Cointelegraph, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the UAE is “well-placed” to benefit from tech and crypto innovation, thanks to its early leadership and supportive environment:

“We are entering an unprecedented period of growth for the crypto industry, driven by greater regulatory clarity around the world and increasing institutional adoption.”

Ripple also reported that it had seen increased demand across the Middle East for cross-border payments. The company said the demand was not limited to crypto-native firms but also came from traditional financial institutions.

Ripple becomes the first crypto payment provider in the DIFC

With DFSA approval, Ripple has become the first blockchain-enabled payments provider to operate within DIFC’s free zone, according to DIFC CEO Arif Amiri.

”We are thrilled that Ripple is deepening their commitment to Dubai by securing a DFSA license that makes them the first blockchain-enabled payments provider in DIFC,” he said.

The license allows Ripple to tap into opportunities in the UAE and the broader MENA region, he added.

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Politics

Nebraska governor signs bill to regulate crypto ATMs, citing growing fraud

Published

4 hours ago

March 13, 2025

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Nebraska governor signs bill to regulate crypto ATMs, citing growing fraud

The governor of Nebraska, Jim Pillen, has signed legislation to protect against cryptocurrency fraud as crypto ATM crime skyrockets in the United States.

“Cryptocurrency is an important, emerging industry, and we’ve been working hard to build Nebraska into a cryptocurrency leader,” said Governor Pillen on March 12 following the signing of the bill.

“An important part of these efforts is to make sure that we have guardrails to prevent criminals from taking advantage of Nebraskans,” he added.

The bipartisan legislation establishes the “Controllable Electronic Record Fraud Prevention Act,” which is designed to help combat fraud and protect users of crypto kiosks and ATMs.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, victims have lost over $65 million to crypto ATM fraud in the first half of 2024. “Fraud losses at BTMs (Bitcoin ATMs) are skyrocketing, increasing nearly tenfold from 2020 to 2023,” the commission reported in September.

The bill, LB 609, was introduced on Jan. 22 by Senator Eliot Bostar. It stipulates that crypto ATM and kiosk operators must be licensed under Nebraska’s Money Transmitters Act and registered and approved by the Department of Banking and Finance. Operators must provide quarterly reports on kiosk locations, names and transaction data.

It also implements transaction limits of $2,000 per day for new users and $5,000 per day for existing customers, and fees cannot exceed 18% of the transaction value.

New customers who report fraud within 90 days can receive a full refund including fees, while existing customers can be refunded for the fees associated with fraudulent transactions.

Kiosk operators must also display fraud warnings and appoint a compliance officer to enforce fraud prevention measures, it states.

The US crypto ATM network shrunk by more than 1,200 machines earlier this month after Illinois Senator Dick Durbin introduced similar legislation.

“Nebraska is open for business in the cryptocurrency space,” commented state Department of Banking director Kelly Lammers, who added, “those that target our citizens … using crypto ATMs as part of their transfer method, we will soon have a team that will be watching even more closely.”

While being supportive of crypto, Nebraska has yet to join the 21 US states that have proposed legislation to establish strategic crypto reserves, according to the Bitcoin Reserve Monitor.

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