Washington Watch Reporter Mary Stackhouse provides breaking news on Virginia Democrats’ redistricting attempt and offers an update on Iran. Dr. Greg Murphy, U.S. Representative for the 3rd District of North Carolina, previews next week’s legislative
SPEAKER 10 :
from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 03 :
The Virginia Supreme Court is the final authority on Virginia constitutional questions. This is the end, folks. You will have the same map in 2026 for the congressional elections that existed in 2024. That is now unchangeable and immutable. That does not mean maps couldn’t be changed by 2028, but they will not be changed by 2026.
SPEAKER 04 :
That was former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on C-SPAN discussing the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling this morning on that state’s redistricting referendum. Welcome to this May 8th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your Friday host Jody Heiss. So glad to have you tuning in. All right, coming up today, we’ll discuss the major ruling from Virginia’s top court when Virginia Congressman Morgan Griffith will be joining us a little bit later in the program, plus North Carolina Congressman Greg Murphy will join us here shortly to discuss what will be on the agenda when Congress returns next week. We’ll also discuss what is on President Trump’s agenda when he visits China. And then later in the program, we’ll be discussing the abortion drug case that’s before the U.S. Supreme Court from both a medical and theological perspective. All that and much more straight ahead. As I mentioned earlier, Virginia’s Supreme Court today threw out a new electoral map that was crafted by Democrats to flip four Republican-held seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and joining us now is Washington Watch reporter Mary Stackhouse. Mary, this is positive news, certainly from a political perspective for Republicans, but tell us what’s unfolding in this.
SPEAKER 19 :
That’s right, Jody. This is definitely a positive development for Republicans. The map in question was approved by voters in April. But today, in a 4-3 decision, the Virginia Supreme Court found that Democratic lawmakers had not followed proper procedure last year when they rushed to approve the referendum, making sure it happened before the November midterm elections. Now, Republicans hold a clear advantage in the national redistricting fight that began last year when Trump pushed Texas Republicans to rip up their electoral map and draw new district lines. Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina have taken steps toward drawing their new maps in time for the November elections. With Virginia’s map now invalidated, Republicans could eventually end up with an advantage in 10 House seats or more nationwide, depending on the outcome of the efforts in southern states. Jody?
SPEAKER 04 :
Very, very big news. In fact, Mary, you heard a little bit later, Virginia Congressman Morgan Griffith will be joining me to talk a little bit more about this from his state’s perspective. So I look forward to that. If I can turn to some international news, the U.S., as we understand, is expecting to hear perhaps even during this program from Iran regarding the latest proposal to end the conflict that’s taking place there. What are some of the latest developments developments you’re hearing, Mary.
SPEAKER 19 :
Jody, Iran is reportedly reviewing the latest peace deal. Recent days have seen the biggest flare ups in fighting in and around the contested Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire began a month ago, even as the US and Iran had indicated that they’re closer than ever to a deal to end the war. President Trump has said a ceasefire was still in place despite the flare up. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to maintain its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier today condemned Iran for trying to normalize keeping a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
SPEAKER 22 :
The normalizing of their controlling of international waterways is both illegal and just something that’s unacceptable. And the world has to start asking itself, what is it willing to do if Iran tries to normalize a control of an international waterway? I think that’s unacceptable.
SPEAKER 19 :
President Trump said three U.S. Navy destroyers had been attacked as they moved through the strait and that the U.S. military had fired back. No warships were damaged. Jodi?
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, Mary, as always, thank you so much for keeping us abreast on these turning events constantly. All right, with Congress now returning next week, we want to get a preview, if you will, of some of the buzz that’s taking place in Washington. And joining us now to discuss this is North Carolina Congressman Dr. Greg Murphy. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and represents the 3rd Congressional District of the Tar Heel State. Dr. Murphy, always great to see you, my friend. Welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 23 :
Yeah, thank you, Jody. Good to see you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so we all know that Congress was able to end the partial government shutdown before this week’s recess is taking place, but it looks as though there’s another one looming later in the year, this fall. So we’ve got a lot of moving parts. The Senate Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee there released texts for the reconciliation process, Bill, that we’ve all been talking about, that funds ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as Border Patrol. What’s your take on that? What do you anticipate that’s going to be going down when you return?
SPEAKER 23 :
Isn’t it interesting, Jody, that we have a political party here in this country that literally, they continue their mantra of defunding the police, which is what they want to do, and now they want to defund our national police, our Customs and Border Control, and those who enforce our laws within the country. And so it has to be done through a reconciliation package, which now is a Republican-only package, to fund these entities. I think the American people really need to wake up and see we allowed, or they allowed, 15 to 20 million people in this country, many of whom, not the majority by any means, but many of whom were criminals coming in or committed heinous acts while in the country. We saw a carjacking just a few days ago and attempted by an illegal immigrant. And the fact that the Democrats are not wanting to fund these positions. CBP and ICE, ICE, by the way, goes after sexual predators. So this has to be a Republican-only initiative, and that’s what we’re working through the House through the reconciliation package. Hopefully things survive the birdbath over there in the Senate and we can get these things funded and that we make sure that those who are enforcing our laws in the country are paid.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, this is really an unusual way to go about. I certainly, just speaking for myself, hope this is not setting precedent for how some of these things are going to be funded in the future. But here we’re moving on a potential third reconciliation, and some are saying that there’s a potential that that would undermine efforts to work on a bipartisan basis to pass regular appropriations bills. Do you think there’s any merit to that?
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, I hope not. But Hakeem Jeffries, you know, keeps a collar hold on all his different constituencies within the Democratic caucus. And I pray there is bipartisan work that can be done. You know, I say to many, many folks, I think if we locked out the mainstream media, I think 75 percent of us could agree on 80 percent of things. And that’s what would be important for the American people. Sadly enough, the wingnuts and some of whom are, truth be told, are in my party. that are going to two extremes and would rather go off on tangents rather than do mainstream work for the country. This is what most of these appropriations bills are. They are just keeping us funded, keeping the good parts of government going. And, you know, it’s up to Hakeem Jeffries and Schumer as to whether they put a stranglehold on the country in the process.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I guess we’ll all wait and see how that works out. If I can turn to another topic with you, speaking of another capital outside of Washington DC, Beijing. President Trump will be arriving there next Thursday. It’ll be his first visit to China since November 2017. But you have been very outspoken on China. What do you anticipate is going to be discussed during the two meetings between President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping.
SPEAKER 23 :
Yeah, I think I don’t know exactly what’s going to be on the docket as far as the president speaking directly with President Xi Jinping, but there’s so many things that China and the US have to talk about. We have to talk about drugs. We have to talk about trade. We have to talk about their influence with Iran. You know, Secretary Rubio, in my opinion, has done just an absolutely fabulous job as Secretary of State in managing so many different constituencies overseas. And now it’s time for the big guy to come in and go one-on-one with their president, try to knock down some trade barriers, which I think he did earlier in the year, try to get some trade normalized. Well, especially where I come from, a lot of agricultural products are going to be critical that are imported back into China. So there’s going to be a lot to talk about. China has a lot of influence over one of its, quote, allies in Iran. It’s time for us, the world, rather, whether we agree or not, in China and Russia, to start putting the bad boy of Iran back in its place and seal off their ability to get a nuclear weapon.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, that’s a huge issue right there. I certainly think that’s going to be a top matter of concern. But another one, very likely, it would seem, would be Taiwan. I mean, look, China wants to stop a U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. I think there’s no question about that. So what type of message do you think the United States should be sending China on that issue?
SPEAKER 23 :
I think the Chinese people, and rather the Chinese dictatorship really is what it is, wants Taiwan back. I think the American people stand with the Taiwanese and their democratic government. I think the president’s going to be pretty firm on what we believe is a one-Taiwan policy, not a one-China policy, that we need to support Taiwan’s independence. They are a democratically elected country. We want to support that. hopefully to prevent any type of military intervention or military conflict in that region. We just don’t need that, and I don’t think the Taiwanese people need it either.
SPEAKER 04 :
So what are some of the other concerns that you have with regard to China that perhaps you feel are not getting enough attention right now?
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, they’re purchasing and they have been purchasing Iranian oil. We put an embargo on this. They’re not supposed to be purchasing Iranian oil. And we’re trying to starve that country because of the various actions that they have been doing. I think the president needs to come in and really enforce that type of institution as far as saying, look, we put sanctions on this country, we don’t need to feed this beast of Iran, and China doesn’t need to be taking in the oil from them. Second, I think it’s really critical we look at the trade that goes on between our two countries. Other than Mexico and Canada, I think China is possibly, if I recall correctly, our third biggest exporter-importer. And I think trade has been such a hallmark of this president’s presidency, his tenure, You know, when I sat on the Trade Subcommittee of Ways and Means during the entire last administration, we did absolutely nothing on trade. And Jody, when I say nothing, I mean nothing. And so the president’s come in and said, look, we need to rebalance what has been a horrible trade deficit coming from countries like China, India, et cetera, trying to make sure that our goods are exported to those countries, China being a huge consumer of those goods. And the president, you know, good Lord, he’s the art of the deal, the master of the deal, as we know that. and trying to make sure that our products as Americans can be purchased by other countries, including China.
SPEAKER 04 :
So you think the meetings next week are going to be pretty significant, certainly potentially. You’ve got two superpowers with a lot to discuss. What are your final thoughts on that?
SPEAKER 23 :
Yeah, I think they are the two superpowers in the world today. You know, Russia has turned out to be in a lot of ways a paper dragon and bogged down by the horrible invasion of Ukraine. But the president carries a big stick. China is a formidable foe. There are a lot of things that we have learned about China. especially during the Iranian conflict because of what they’ve supplied with the Chinese, excuse me, supplied to the Iranian military. There are a lot of things that we actually can work on, I think that are good for both peoples. There’s a lot of Chinese investiture or investments rather in technology. Absolutely. We have to be very, very careful of that they don’t gain the upper hand, especially with artificial intelligence.
SPEAKER 04 :
North Carolina Congressman Dr. Greg Murphy, always great to see you, talk with you. Thank you for joining us on Washington Watch. All right, friends, coming up, we’re going to shift gears and talk about the big news coming out of the Virginia Supreme Court regarding redistricting. Stay with us. We’ll be right back.
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The book of Proverbs says that for a godly mother, her children will rise up and call her blessed.
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And with great pride, her husband will praise her, saying, Many women have done excellently, but you surpassed them all. Family Research Council wishes moms across America a happy Mother’s Day.
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May our nation be blessed because of godly mothers who love their families by feeling the Lord.
SPEAKER 08 :
Join us for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action at this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia. Hear from Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials as we work together to build a foundation based on biblical truth. Early Bird special tickets are on sale for $69 when you register by June 15th. To register, visit PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 17 :
I think all people really need to have this type of education. Well, I can tell you that it’s been an amazing course, period.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think this course is a reminder that a biblical worldview should really impact everything. It impacts our government from the federal to the state to the local. It should impact what we’re doing with our families and with our work.
SPEAKER 15 :
God and Government is a video-driven, Bible-based training course from Family Research Council that explores the connection between between biblical principles and American government. In this six-session video series, FRC President Tony Perkins equips participants with a practical understanding of civil government from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 17 :
I would encourage all people to take it. I almost wish I would have took it earlier that I could have taught my kids this. I wish I had known these things when we were homeschooling because I think children and my adults now would just greatly be influenced by that information.
SPEAKER 02 :
So I’m an attorney, and for me, it gives me some direct practical knowledge of what I can do to try to impact my legal community, to make better legislation, to try to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical worldview, which is what we really want.
SPEAKER 21 :
Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we are dual citizens, right? We are citizens of the kingdom of God, but we’re also citizens of this great land, and that comes with responsibility.
SPEAKER 12 :
Even as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you’re learning little bits and pieces of new stuff all the time. But it’s also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school, college students, they can really glean something from this. So I would encourage everybody to take this course, whether it’s the videos, whether it’s doing it in person, bring your Bible study group through it, bring your homeschool group through it and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead.
SPEAKER 15 :
View the course at frc.org slash God and government or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 04 :
Good afternoon. Happy Friday to you. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your host, Jody Heiss. Thank you so much for tuning in. All right. There was some huge, huge news that came out of Virginia earlier this morning in a four to three ruling. the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the state’s recently passed redistricting referendum that would have allowed Democratic state lawmakers to literally gerrymander Virginia’s congressional map before the upcoming midterm elections. And joining us now with his reaction is Congressman Morgan Griffith from Virginia. He serves as vice chairman of the House Rules Committee and represents the ninth congressional district of that great state. Congressman Griffith, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to see you.
SPEAKER 06 :
Always good to see you too. Glad to be with you.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. So let’s start off your reaction to the ruling from this morning.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, obviously, I’m very happy with the ruling. The court got it right, in my opinion. The Democrats, as you will recall, did a special session. I have questions about whether they were lawfully doing that special session, but they did a special session on Halloween claiming that the election the following week was the general intervening election, even though voting had started about 40 days before and 1.3 million Virginians had already voted in that gubernatorial year election. And as a result, the court said, no, the Constitution of Virginia requires an intervening general election. And we’ve already had 1.3 million or 40% of the electorate in Virginia vote. You can’t count that as an intervening general election. Can’t count doing it with only a few days left as valid. And they threw the whole thing out.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. I saw many of their commercials. No doubt they spent a fortune on this. They had tried to, frankly, sell this whole thing to voters by claiming that it would restore fairness in elections. But changing the seats, the states… seat count from six to five in favor of Democrats, they were going to change it to 10 to one. I mean, would that have been fair? Is that what they consider fairness to elections?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, yeah, of course they consider that fair. Anything that helps them is fair. Anything that is even or helps Republicans is unfair. And so they, you know, they’re quick to criticize all the other states that have done things, and yet they didn’t pay attention to the fact that they had to follow the Virginia Constitution And they rushed it through and they made it. I think a number of mistakes, but we only had to win one and we won one today, so that’s done. But you know, they’re still complaining that well, it went to the voters in the referendum and those people’s votes didn’t count. Well, they should have anticipated that and gotten all of the eyes dotted and the T’s crossed. When you do something in an unconstitutional manner under the Virginia Constitution, You’ve got to expect that the court will take action against it, whether a million people voted in the referendum or a million six voted in the referendum is not the issue. The issue is, did you follow the rules? And Virginia precedent says that if you’re changing the Constitution, you have to dot every I and you have to cross every T and you have to do it perfectly. And there were a number of things they didn’t get right. And in their heart of hearts deep down when they’re not playing politics, I think even the Democrats know that they were pushing the envelope and trying to get by with one quickly. They thought the referendum would would. basically cow the court into doing it. But remember, they only won by right around three points and they had expected to win by 10 or 15. And the reason is, is that the question was confusing. It was done in a fast manner instead of the normal two year process. They squeezed it all into about six or seven months. And they made mistakes. And the court today said, you made a mistake. And we’re sorry, but we have to follow the law. And I give the court credit for having the fortitude to recognize that they’re going to irritate the legislature, which appoints them, and they’re going to have people who wonder why we did the election. Well, they might be able to change Virginia precedent in the future, but that was the precedent that existed up to this point, that you decide after the vote and not before the vote. The Democrats chose to have a confusing question and chose to have spent 60, 70 million dollars. All told, about 100 million was spent. That’s a shame. But you could have anticipated it. And I’ve been saying for months the system was flawed. What they did had numerous problems. And they just felt like if they got past the referendum phase, that they would be able to get the Supreme Court to back down and not look at the Virginia Constitution. The court did its job. It was tough for them to do it. Some of them are likely not to be reappointed by the legislature because of it. But they did the right thing anyway. And I just have great respect for the Virginia Supreme Court for doing the right thing.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yep, absolutely. You know, I think it’s also worth emphasizing that Virginian spoke loud and clear in 2020, basically saying then that voters should pick their elected officials, not the other way around. Isn’t that really what was emphasized again today?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I think that’s exactly right. The court said, you know, you can’t just change the Constitution willy-nilly, and you have to follow all the rules. And when they changed the Constitution to make it a fair process, to make it a either bipartisan or nonpartisan process, they followed all the rules. It was a good two and a piece year process. They dotted all the I’s. They crossed all the T’s. So that one was valid. Undoing that constitutional amendment would require the same kind of diligence And time to allow the voters to figure out what was going on. The legislators in Richmond did not do that this time. They tried to pass it through quickly and they made an error. It happens and it was a case of first impression, so I don’t blame him for trying to push the envelope, but they knew or should have known that this was a likely result when they had so many difficulties. As I’ve always said, there were five really good points. We only had to win one. They had to win all five. Today we lost one real.
SPEAKER 04 :
Real quickly, we’ve only a minute or so left, but looking more broadly, what do you make of the redistricting efforts elsewhere? South Carolina, for example. Where do you see this whole push going?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I personally wish they had a system like Virginia where it took a little bit longer to get things done, because I think anytime you do things fast, you’re liable to make more mistakes when you’re talking about reapportionment. Plus, I’ve got to tell you, Jody, it’s a state prerogative. Each state is different. Each state has different laws. But my feeling is we really need to encourage the states somehow from the federal level to look at this once every 10 years and not go back and forth during that 10 year period. It’s confusing for the voters. It’s hard for the constituents. And I think the founders intended for it to be once every 10 years, but because of modern electronics and so forth, it can be done more quickly and more often. But I just think it’s hard on the constituents who have to rely on their congressmen to do all kinds of things.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, Virginia Congressman Morgan Griffith, thank you so much for joining us on Washington Watch. Coming up, we’ve got much more to cover, so stay with us. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 20 :
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One Nation Under God, America’s undeniable foundation of faith.
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The United States Capitol, an iconic symbol of the American Republic. But few know that this building at the heart of our nation’s government was once something more, the largest church building in America. Since its inception and for decades following, several rooms throughout the Capitol, including the House and Senate chambers, were used to host church services weekly. These services were filled with individuals from all levels of government. The attendance was so pervasive that often it was standing room only. Quote, going to the Capitol on Sundays was then one of the most common things in Washington. Margaret Bayard Smith. This practice was not merely accepted, but encouraged. Quote, I consider it as one of my public duties as a representative of the people to give my attendance every Sunday morning when divine service is performed in the hall. President John Quincy Adams. Housing worship at the center of our capital was a living representation of the role that biblical principles played as a cornerstone of our nation’s foundation of faith.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am your Friday host, Jody Heiss. So glad to have you with us today. All right, since Family Research Council launched the Pray, Vote, Stand chapter initiative earlier this year, we’ve been sharing with you on a regular basis the growth that we’ve been seeing there. And we’ve also been sharing how these chapters have been engaging locally, through prayer and they’ve been responding biblically, just really engaging their communities, which is what we’re equipping them to do. And today we want to share with you what our PBS chapter in Seminole County, Florida, has been doing and joining us to do just that is the leader of that PVS chapter, Jenny Hayes. She’s a native born Floridian and a member of First Baptist Sweetwater in Longwood, where the Seminole County chapter is based. Jenny, welcome to Washington Watch. It is indeed an honor to have you with us.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you, Representative Jody Hayes. It’s an honor to meet you and be able to speak with you today.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, first of all, let’s just begin with the basics. How and why did you get involved in this initiative?
SPEAKER 01 :
So I saw Mr. Echols speaking with Mr. Perkins on Washington Watch several weeks ago. I think it was like mid-February. And it really piqued my interest because here in Florida, while we are seen by many as the free Florida state, We are a conservative and majority Republican state. But if you recall, a couple of years ago, we had a marijuana amendment on the ballot in Florida, as well as an abortion amendment. And those two amendments were looking like they were going to pass in favor of legalizing those two things until the panhandle votes, which some of our panhandle was in a different time zone. started coming in and then all of a sudden they were losing. And that really concerned me as a conservative biblical worldview, Republican conservative individual. And so I’ve been looking for a way to try to marry the two. And when I heard Mr. Echols speaking about the chapters, I started praying about that. And is that something that maybe I could assist with and got in touch with FRC and the rest is sort of history.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, that’s fantastic. Well, let’s go a little bit deeper into the actual work that you’re doing right now. Share with us what you’ve been doing in your PVS chapter and what you see it doing in the years to come.
SPEAKER 01 :
So we’ve had two meetings thus far in April and May. We just had our last meeting this past Tuesday. And in between those two meetings, I reached out to just about every single elected official in our county, which is about 50 people, between the constitutional officers, the county commission, city commission, school board, and just basically said, hey, we’re a group of people. We have a biblical worldview. We are commanded by scripture to pray for our elected leaders. And we want you to know there’s a group of people out here who’s doing that for you. And if you want to give us any kind of prayer requests, personal, professional, spoken, unspoken, We’re here to assist with that and just know you’re being prayed for. And I was actually kind of nervous to send the emails because I was a little worried I might get kind of a nasty gram back, but I didn’t. Some people didn’t respond at all, which is fine. But many of the responses I got, all the responses I got were very positive. And I got some that were just I mean, I was amazed that people would entrust me with this kind of information to share with our group about very specific prayer requests they had. So appreciative. I mean, beyond appreciative that there’s a group of people out here just trying to pray for them and help them and come alongside them. And so this last meeting, we prayed over all of them, their specific requests. If they didn’t have a request, you know, we still prayed for them. And then we also compiled a list of all of our elected officials in our county, as well as all the meeting and date times during the month that those specific commissioners meet. So we can also be in prayer for them as they’re going into their meetings, during their meetings. And I was getting responses like, it’s a harsh world out here. I would really love prayer for strength and endurance and for all of us to get along and more stability among the members. And that’s heartbreaking to know that In our county, you know, these people are stepping up to lead and they are of different political stripes, but they’re people and they need prayer and care just like the rest of us. And they have hopes and dreams and insecurities. And I think most of them are just trying to do their best by themselves and by our community. And so that’s really what our main starting point is. And then from there, of course, we want to keep having our monthly meetings, going through the God and government course, which is a great sort of apologetics course on that very topic. and can equip people to have those kinds of conversations with their neighbors about why God and government do coexist and coexist very, very well and must coexist for our country to continue in this same vein we’ve been in for so long.
SPEAKER 04 :
That is amazing. You know, our vision is to have a PBS chapter in every county in the country, and we hope to do that over the next decade. What would you say to those out there who may be considering starting a PBS chapter?
SPEAKER 01 :
I would say pray about it. And if you really feel that God is leading you to do it, he will, of course, equip you to do it and just kind of watch what he will do. I mean, that’s happened to me many times in my life. And I think that, you know, people really, like I told my pastor, Pastor Betty of our church, who’s helping me, you know, in our efforts, when I texted him something, you know, I was like, these are the responses I’m getting. This is amazing. Like, this is so just, it was such a praise God moment. And he said, well, you know, we are kind of uniquely equipped to do just that, what you said, you know, people need prayer and care and we’re equipped to do that. So your church community is there to do that. And if you have a specific interest like I do in the law and in government, this might be a great way to serve your body of Christ and your local community.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. Thank you so much for joining us, Jenny Hayes, as leader of the Seminole County PBS chapter. Tim Eccles actually reached out to me today saying that I was going to love having you on the program. And he was exactly right about that. Thank you for all you’re doing. It’s an honor to have you. God bless you in that new chapter. All right, to find out more how you can get more information or start a PBS chapter, simply text chapters, that’s plural, chapters, to 67742. All right, coming up, we’ll discuss the abortion drug case that’s before the Supreme Court with two doctors, a medical and a theological. So stay with us.
SPEAKER 07 :
This is Mission Control Houston here in the Artemis flight control room. Splashdown confirmed at 7.07 p.m. Central Time. A new chapter of the exploration of our celestial neighbor is complete. Integrity’s astronauts, back on Earth.
SPEAKER 09 :
when I got back on the ship. I’m not really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute. And when that man walked in, I’d never met him before in my life, but I saw the cross on his collar and I just, I broke down in tears. It’s very hard to fully grasp what we just went through. And when the sun eclipsed behind the moon, I think all four of us, I turned to Victor and I said, I don’t think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we’re looking at right now, because it was otherworldly, it was amazing.
SPEAKER 15 :
That was Commander Reid Wiseman of the Artemis II mission, reflecting on their journey around the moon. So here’s a question. Does that sound like a man that just entered space, an empty, cold vacuum of nothingness? Or did he encounter something so profound, so full, so warm and bursting with life, it’s almost as if someone was breathing on it? Perhaps it was so meaningful that the word space doesn’t do the journey justice. Well, it sounds like he didn’t encounter space, but something else, what the Bible calls the heavens. As the psalmist says, the heavens declare the glory of God and continually pours out speech. And that speech just might leave you speechless if you’re seeking it. It seems like Commander Wiseman discovered the truth of Psalm 139 in reality. Where shall I go from your spirit or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven and orbit the moon, you are there. So here’s the glorious news for Commander Wiseman and all of humanity. The heavens aren’t far from any one of us. In fact, the Christian story proclaims that the One who sits in the heavens didn’t stay there. He came down into our broken world, forsaking heaven’s treasure to make you His treasure. And something truly incomprehensible happened the day He died, when the One who stretched out the heavens like a curtain stretched out His hands for us on the cross. But it was impossible for death to keep its hold on life itself. He rose from the grave, He lives, and every sunrise since reminds us that the darkness of night will never eclipse the light behind all light, Jesus, the light of the world. Family Research Council prays that families across America would look up and join the song of the heavens. Praise God in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his mighty deeds. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am Jody Heiss, your Friday host. Thank you so much for tuning in today. All right, before I get into this final segment with our final guest, I want to encourage you to join us this fall for our PrayVoteStand Summit 2026. It’s going to be held September 24th through the 26th at the Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia, which is just outside Washington, D.C. And you can register today and get a huge early bird special summit pass for just $69 today. Folks, that’s an incredible deal for what you’ll get out of this conference. So that early bird special just goes through June 15th. So to learn more, to register, go to PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org. Okay, yesterday was the deadline for briefs to be filed in Louisiana’s Supreme Court case against the FDA’s Biden-era policies on the abortion drug Mifepristone. There have been several amicus briefs that have been filed in the case, including one that was signed by more than 100 Republican members of Congress, and they’re just urging the Supreme Court to reinstate the safety protocols that the Biden administration had removed following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. And by the way, FRC also filed a brief supporting the state of Louisiana, as did the organization of my next guest. Joining us to provide a medical perspective on this case is Dr. Donna Harrison, a board-certified OBGYN with over three decades of experience. She’s also the CEO Emerita and the current Director of Research for AAPLOG, which is the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Harrison, welcome back to Washington Watch. A great honor to have you.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you, Representative Heiss. I’m honored to be here.
SPEAKER 04 :
So let’s start with the brief that your organization put forward, the claims to the court, just the whole thing. Just kind of break that down for us in a nutshell.
SPEAKER 13 :
OK, I’ll put it in a nutshell. The American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs needed to file this brief to show that there are OBGYNs who are not afraid to tell the truth about mifepristone, about drug-induced abortion. And what we did was discuss some of the claims made by our nemesis, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, who claim to speak for OBGYNs across the United States, but they do not on this issue. So ACOG was saying that abortion is safe, and we showed that abortion is not safe. Abortion has real risks, including hemorrhage, infection, including rupturing ectopic pregnancies if they’re not discovered before the abortion pill is given, including the drug as it’s used right now through telemedicine, being given to women who don’t even know they’re getting the drug. There’s a number of cases where women have received a drug from a disgruntled boyfriend and aborted, even though they had no consent in it. So we explain those things in our brief. And we also explain that ACOG says the complications are rare. They are not rare. Complications from the mifepristone abortion are common. And that’s the scientific definition of common is more than 1%. They are. You got one out of 25 women ending up in the ER. That’s not a rare complication. So that’s important. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
Great point. I’m glad you brought that up. I’m glad you brought up ACOG, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Is it true? Is it fair to say that ACOG is driven by ideology? They’re not driven by science. Is that an accurate portrayal, particularly when it comes to this whole issue of abortion and the abortion chemical drugs?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, particularly when it comes to abortion, because they say they’re speaking for OB-GYNs across the country, but 85% of OB-GYNs don’t do abortions. And it’s not because we don’t know how. It’s because we recognize that there are two patients that stand in front of us, the human being in the womb and the mom who’s carrying that human being. They’re both our patients. And that’s the long history of being an OB-GYN, which we’re proud of. ACOG, on the other hand, denies that there’s a human being in the womb. despite the science that stares them in the face, that this is a human being with a different blood type, human being with different DNA, a human being that does all the things that human beings do. They kick, they move, they have a heartbeat. And ACOG denies that it’s a heartbeat. They say, don’t use the word heartbeat. It’s electrical activity. Well, scientifically, electrical activity never moved blood around a body. It’s a heart that moves blood around the body. And there is a heartbeat there. So ACOG has denied science when they make these ridiculous claims about who the human being is in the womb. And they’ve never met an abortion they didn’t like. They have lobbied for removing restrictions from abortion at any gestational age to be done by any untrained person who can’t handle the complications. This is not medical care. This is drug pushing. And ACOG, on the subject of abortion, ACOG has moved into the realm of a drug pusher.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow, excellent description there. So let me go a little bit further down this pathway. Your organization, AAPLOG, a group of pro-life obstetricians, gynecologists, you are indeed driven by science. You are driven by evidence as opposed to ACOG. So what would be the appropriate policy for the abortion chemical drugs, given the evidence, what is an appropriate policy that should be in place?
SPEAKER 13 :
So the appropriate policy is that it never should have been approved in the first place. The whole approval of mifepristone was bogus from the start, and we have detailed that for the last 20 years. So you can look back over the history at AHMV FDA. We’ve detailed that the approval was wrong, but at the bare minimum, well, what should happen is mifepristone should be taken off the market. But at a bare minimum, the doctor should have to meet with the woman face to face to make sure she’s not being coerced, to screen her for sex trafficking, because abortion is very common in sex trafficking, to do an ultrasound to find out how far along she is, because all of her risks depend on how far along she is. You can’t actually give a woman true informed consent if you don’t know how far along she is. And that takes an ultrasound. It’s simple. And we also need to find out if the baby’s in her womb or is an ectopic. So that’s what really should happen. That should be part of the protocol.
SPEAKER 04 :
Great, great suggestion. I totally agree with you. So returning to the pre-2023 requirement, in-person evaluation and so forth, is not radical. In fact, that’s probably a bare minimum of a safety standard. Is that correct?
SPEAKER 13 :
That is correct. It is the bare minimum. If you would do the kind of sloppy care that is being done by abortionists across the country, that’s right-to-check malpractice. Now, they need to be held to the same kind of standard if they’re claiming that abortion is a medical procedure, but we all know that abortion is not medical care. So the claim right now, what you’re seeing is that even the abortionists are admitting that abortion isn’t medical care, not being done by a physician dispensed over the Internet without even looking at the patient, not being given informed consent. None of these are standard of care. The standard of care for medicine is quite different. And so what we’re returning to the pre 2023 requirements is the bare minimum of what should happen. What really needs to happen is the drug needs to be taken off the market.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. Thank you so much for joining us, Dr. Donna Harrison, Director of Research for AAPLOG. Always great to have you. We appreciate you joining us very much. All right. I want to turn now from the medical side of the myth of Pristone case to the theological side of it all. And joining us now to discuss this for our weekly Biblical Worldview conversation is another doctor. Dr. David Claussen. He’s the director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview. He’s also the author of Life After Roe, Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today. Dr. Claussen, always great to have you with us. Happy Friday.
SPEAKER 05 :
Happy Friday. Great to be with you, Jody.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, so we’ve discussed through the week, and I’m sure you heard the discussion I was just having, but we’ve got a big abortion drug case before the Supreme Court. I mentioned at the top of the program today that more than 100 Republican members of Congress have signed a friend of the court briefs. What do you make of all the latest developments in all this? Break it down for us.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, so as you mentioned, Jody, in the previous segment last night was the deadline for folks to file these amici with the Supreme Court as they’re considering what’s going to happen with this Louisiana case and what to do with the chemical abortion drugs. And, of course, you and I talked about this last week on this program as the decision broke. And, of course, along with your last guests, My hope is that the Supreme Court will uphold the Louisiana law because these chemical abortion drugs are dangerous for women. The Mifepristone carries a black box warning. One out of 25 women experience complications is what the FDA admits. A study just a year or so ago said that percentage is actually closer to 11%. So these, of course, from a theological perspective, these pills, they snuff out the life every time of an unborn child made in God’s image, but they’re also dangerous for women. And you mentioned 113 members of Congress filing an amicus brief. I just want to go on the record and say that I’m grateful, Jody, for these members of Congress. One of my favorite quotes from Billy Graham is when One man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. And so credit to those who are drawing attention in their brief, and I did read part of their brief, just pointing out that the current policy that the FDA is abiding by actually is in violation of federal law. So this is a separation of powers argument that the FDA, an agency like them, can’t just run roughshod over federal law that’s on the books. And so again, grateful for the clarity, the moral clarity, you could say, of these members of Congress in their brief.
SPEAKER 04 :
And so let’s take it outside the, and I agree with you, but let’s take it outside the halls of Congress. What encouragement, what kind of guidance would you offer pastors as many of them perhaps are thinking about addressing this case and this issue of abortion to their congregations? What would you say to them?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, one statistic I would give you from the research that we’ve done in the Center for Biblical Worldview, George Barna and I did a nationwide research project of regular churchgoers back in 2023, and we found actually that in that research we did 71% of regular churchgoers, and this cuts across Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, Pentecostal, 71% told us they wanted their church, Jody, to provide more training on the issue of abortion and the value of human life. And so I talk to pastors all the time. Just got back from New Jersey, actually, where I was doing some pastor roundtables. And pastors, I hear from them that they don’t want to engage in politics or public policy. They might offend people. I just want you to know, though, pastor, that three out of four people in your congregation actually have told us they want more training on the issue of abortion and the value of human life, and they want it from their church. And so, again, for those with preaching, teaching, discipleship opportunities, what an opportunity we have to provide sermons, expositional sermons on Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16, or Luke chapter 1, verses 39 through 45, to help our folks in our congregations understand the Imago Dei, to understand the application of the Sixth Commandment, There are biblical principles that we can go to to help our people understand what God’s position is on this issue. And so, again, I think that’s an opportunity right now as this case is before the Supreme Court. It’s in the news. People are trying to understand what’s happening. For pastors, even in a pastoral prayer, for example, you could be praying for wisdom for the justices as they consider this case and then pray for justice to prevail. I think that would be completely appropriate for a pastor to do that on a Sunday morning.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, you know, and especially as you said, I mean, this is in the news. Abortion remains a very prominent cultural and political issue, but it’s also a theological issue. So what would you say to pastors to speak about this both with biblical conviction, but also with compassion, knowing that this is a very real issue that many people are dealing with?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, another gem we gleaned from our research actually is that among churchgoers, we found out that 16% of regular churchgoers have a personal experience with abortion. So if you’re a woman, you actually had an abortion. If you’re a man, you paid for or encouraged someone in your life to get an abortion. And so it’s good to realize that one out of five people in your congregation have a personal experience with this issue. So it’s not just some ivory tower intellectual public policy debate. And so again, I think we speak the truth in love. That’s Ephesians 4.15. So we are gracious. We are affirming. We are kind. We exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. But our people need clarity. They need to know what God’s Word teaches. And again, Jody, there’s issues that I think Christians can agree to disagree on. But on the issue of abortion, the issue of the value of unborn life, that’s not one where there’s two opinions. There’s one opinion, one position you could say that God reveals in His Word. And so, again, I think as pastors, those who are called to shepherd a flock, help your people understand what God’s Word says. That is both loving and it is kind. And I think it’s part of the job description.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. All right, David, we’ve just got literally seconds left, but I know you were recently in New Jersey where you’re speaking with pastors about the work of the Center for Biblical Worldview. 30 seconds or so. Tell us how people can get more information and basically what you’re doing in these conferences.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, grateful for the invitation of Sean Hyland, the president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, to share with pastors over breakfast and over lunch. Go to frc.org slash worldview, and you can learn more about the workshops and the teachings that we’re actually bringing around the country. We would love to come to your church. We’d love to come share this information. frc.org slash worldview to find more about the workshops.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, you’re doing a fantastic job. Dr. David Claussen, Director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview. As always, thank you for joining us on Friday. Well, that wraps up this Friday. That wraps up this week. Hope you have a fantastic, special Mother’s Day weekend. God bless you. We’ll see you next week.
SPEAKER 10 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
