By Christy Barritt

Wrongful Birth Lawsuit in Favor of Parents

An Oregon couple was recently awarded $2.9 million in a “wrongful birth” lawsuit.

The Portland couple claimed they would have aborted their Down syndrome baby if doctors had not been “negligent” in their prenatal care.

The couple argued that they continued their pregnancy based on their doctor’s finding that their baby had a normal chromosomal profile based on a test that was analyzed incorrectly.

A week after birth, the couple discovered their baby—who’s now 4 years old—had Down syndrome.

The parents originally sued for $7 million to cover their costs of care for their daughter over her lifetime.

Voter ID Law Blocked by Wisconsin Judge

A new Wisconsin state law that required voters to carry photo identification has been blocked by a Dane County judge.

Supporters argued the new law would prevent voter fraud, while detractors said the law would restrict voters.

“A government that undermines the very foundation of its existence—the people’s inherent, pre-constitutional right to vote—imperils its legitimacy as a government by the people, for the people, and especially of the people,” Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess wrote. 

The state’s Attorney General has promised to appeal the decision.

Thirty-one states currently have voter-identification laws.

Niess’s decision came the same day the U.S. Department of Justice blocked Texas’s voter ID law, saying it would affect Hispanic voters too greatly since they’re not as likely to have appropriate identification.

Abstinence Education Bill Passed in Utah

The Utah Senate passed a bill mandating that public schools teach abstinence education or nothing at all. The bill must be signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert, however, before taking effect.

Under the new bill, schools that choose to teach sex education are not allowed to give detailed instructions on intercourse, homosexuality, contraception, or sex outside of marriage. Instead, they’ll teach children that sexual abstinence until marriage is the best choice.

State representative Bill Wright, a Republican, sponsored the bill in response to what he viewed as inappropriate material being presented in classrooms, specifically materials produced by Planned Parenthood, the Desert News reported. 

Also according to the Desert News, senate sponsor Republican Margaret Dayton of Orem noted that in the years since sex education began in schools, there has been an increase in sexually transmitted diseases.

Social Networking and Politics

Posting political views on social networking sites just might cause you to lose some friends.

That’s what new research from the Pew Research Center shows.

Nearly four in 10 users discovered through online postings by friends that their political beliefs were different than expected. A small percentage of users blocked, unfriended, or hid someone from their site because they either
disagreed with their views or found their postings were too frequent.

Three-quarters of social networking site users say their friends post at least some content related to politics on the sites from time to time.

Twenty-two percent of social networking site users said they decided not to post political comments or links to political material because they were worried they could offend or upset someone.

 Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons. 
www.christybarritt.com