The 2021 Legislative Session In Review
As we look back at events affecting New York politics and policy in 2021, Christian New Yorkers have a great deal to be thankful for. While New Yorkers have experienced great difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while some of those difficulties were made worse by onerous government mandates, we can be thankful that the…
SCOTUS Rejects Health Care Workers’ Religious Exemption Request
On December 13, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States found the State of New York’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers to be constitutional despite its lack of a religious exemption. Because of the Court’s ruling, health care workers in New York with religious objections to COVID-19 vaccination will be required to…
Pastor, Can We Talk About Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Mask Mandate?
By Jason J. McGuire Dear Pastor, As you are no doubt already aware, on December 10, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced masks will be required to be worn in all indoor public places, unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. Only the day before, news reports indicated that the Governor was not considering any…
De Blasio Demands Vaccination For Private Employees
In recent weeks, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken a number of controversial actions. Three of those actions involve COVID-19 vaccine mandates. On November 29, 2021, Mayor de Blasio—whose second and final term as mayor comes to a close at the end of this year—announced the imposition of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate…
Republican National Committee Embraces LGBT Pride
At a gala in early November, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced the formation of an “RNC Pride Coalition.” According to Fox News, the Coalition will collaborate with the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR)—a national organization that pushes the Republican Party to support homosexuality and transgenderism—to “mobilize LGBTQ communities ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.” RNC…
Give Thanks
Psalm 136:1: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” I Thessalonians 5:18: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” On Thursday, November 25, Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. The year 2021 marks the 400th year in which…
TAKE ACTION: Hochul Puts Health Care Livelihoods On The Line
The livelihoods of some of New York’s health care workers have been placed on the line by the most recent vaccination dictate from the Hochul administration. Sadly, Gov. Kathy Hochul appears to be just as hostile to religious liberty as Gov. Andrew Cuomo was. The New York State Department of Health has notified health care…
Biden Vaccine Mandate Blocked
On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government would require private employers with 100 or more employees to give their employees two options: Be vaccinated against COVID-19, or wear masks in the workplace and receive weekly COVID-19 tests. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued regulations implementing the President’s directive…
Catholic Diocese Dismisses Teacher For Violating Church Teaching
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn has come under fire in The New York Times for terminating the employment of a music teacher who entered into a same-sex “marriage.” According to the Times, the Diocese let go of Mr. Matthew LaBanca last month after he held a same-sex ceremony with his male partner over the…
SCOTUS Vacates New York Abortion Case
On November 1, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States made a good decision in an abortion-related case that was filed here in New York. In Albany v. Emami, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York and a group of other religious organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a 2017 state…
Authoritarian Government Must Be Held Accountable
As the battle against COVID-19 continues to rage, various levels of government are increasingly taking authoritarian approaches in response to differing views. Pressure to vaccinate minors is increasing, as is pressure to shut down dissenting opinions. This trend is ominous. According to TheCity.NYC, the New York City Administration for Children’s Services recently gave its partner…
Judge Issues Injunction In Case of HealthCare Workers Seeking Relief
On October 12, 2021, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction barring the enforcement of New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate against health care workers who object to COVID-19 vaccinations on religious grounds. Judge David Hurd of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York ruled that the plaintiff health care workers were…
New York Just Won’t Leave New Hope Alone
There are new developments in the case of New Hope Family Services, the Syracuse-based Christian adoption and foster care agency that the State of New York is trying to shut down because it only places children “with couples consisting of a mother and father committed to each other in marriage.” While two federal courts have…
Back To School Resource Helps Parents Advocate For Their Kids
As school-aged children return to classes this fall, Christian parents—especially parents with children in public schools—face a potential minefield of challenging issues. In addition to the continuing battle with the COVID-19 pandemic and its Delta variant, Christian parents must be on their guard to prevent schools from brainwashing or bullying their children into accepting ideologies…
Public Mandates Push Into Private Schools
Last week, Albany Update commented on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s back-to-school plans in regard to COVID-19 prevention, including the implementation of a universal mask requirement. This week, there is more back-to-school news. On September 2, Gov. Hochul announced that the New York State Department of Health (DOH) had released an emergency regulation requiring that school personnel…
Suggested September Prayer Needs
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms invites our friends and supporters to lift the following prayers to the Lord during the month of September: That students, faculty, staff and administrators returning to classrooms across the state would be protected from the spread of COVID-19 or any variants thereof; That as America marks twenty years since 9/11/2001…