By Christy Barritt

Pro-Choice Americans at Record Low

According to a new Gallup poll, half of all Americans identify themselves as “pro-life” on abortion. 

Only 41 percent consider themselves “pro-choice,” a record low since Gallup began the poll.

When Gallup first asked the question in 1995, 56 percent of Americans identified themselves as pro-choice while only 33 percent said they were pro-life.

The numbers break down by political party also with 72 percent of Republicans, 47 percent of independents, and 34 percent of Democrats claiming to be pro-life.

Gallup polled 1,024 adults, and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Black Ministers Urge Obama to Rethink Same-Sex Marriage

The Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP) issued a formal letter to President Obama, asking him to reconsider supporting same-sex marriage.

The letter said, “We cannot and will not remain silent while marriage, the most fundamental institution in our—and any—nation, is undermined by our own President while using Christian language and relating it to civil rights.”

William Owens, Sr., CAAP’s founder and president, also encouraged Obama to stop linking the gay rights movement with the civil right’s moment. “This is no civil right to do what God calls wrong,” said Owens.

The coalition’s informal poll found that 13 percent of blacks said they would “absolutely not” vote for Obama based on his support of same sex marriage. In contrast, the Pew Research Center showed that exit polls in 2008 revealed that 95 percent of African Americans voted for Obama.

Fewer Physicians Accepting Medicaid

Thirty-six percent of doctors are no longer accepting new Medicaid patients due in large part to declining reimbursements.

Jackson Healthcare conducted a survey of 2,232 physicians across all specialties in late April. They discovered that certain specialties had a high percentage of doctors who reported an inclination to limit the number of Medicaid patients they can treat. They include orthopedic surgeons (50 percent), family practitioners (45 percent), gastroenterologists (47 percent), neurologists (43 percent), cardiologists (39 percent), and urologists (35 percent).

Currently, 36 percent of physicians said they’re no longer accepting new Medicaid patients, the survey reported. Twenty-six percent of doctors don’t see Medicaid patients at all.

These statistics will continue to be an issue with a reported 13 million Americans soon joining the Medicaid rolls because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The number is expected to grow as high as 26 million by 2020.

Oklahoma Church Prays 24/7

Nearly a decade ago, a congregation in Norman, Oklahoma felt led to pray around the clock.

St. Joseph’s Church has been praying ever since as part of a program they call “Perpetual Adoration.”

Every day, every hour, there is at least one person in the church’s chapel praying for individual requests, the military, and various other concerns in the community. They also offer up prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

One church member told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph that he thought the program would only last six months after it was started on Ash Wednesday in 2003. Nearly 10 years later, the prayer vigil is still going strong.

The only exception to not fulfilling prayer duty is when the weather is inclement and the roads too dangerous to drive.

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