In her first public appearance since being freed from Sudanese prison, FRC is proud to announce that Meriam Ibrahim will be the honoree at the Faith, Family & Freedom Gala dinner on Saturday, September 27 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Willing to give up her life rather than deny Jesus Christ, Meriam suffered months of persecution along with her toddler son in a Khartoum prison, even giving birth to her newborn daughter while shackled to her jail cell. With the help of members of Congress, likeminded groups, and the outcry of everyday citizens, Sudanese officials finally overturned her execution sentence and allowed her to leave the country and build a new home in America.

This month, FRC and the many leaders and organizations who worked to secure Meriam’s release will celebrate her courage – and the courage of the millions of other Christians around the world living under threat of death for their faith. Meriam’s bold stand as she faced the gallows has touched the hearts of people in every nation, inspiring countless Christians to be courageous in their faith.

Together with her husband Daniel, Meriam will be the recipient of the Values Voter Summit’s first-ever Cost of Discipleship Award. For freedom lovers across America, many of whom prayed and raised awareness about Meriam’s plight, the evening will be a unique opportunity to pay tribute to the brave woman who became the global face of the religious liberty debate.

We hope you’ll join us for this special Faith, Family, & Freedom gala and give new voice to the thousands of Meriams trapped in the dark work of Christian oppression. They, too, are looking to America, hoping that someone will speak out on their behalf. Help us remind them that they are not forgotten. For more information on the Summit or to register for tickets, please click over to ValuesVoterSummit.org.

Louisiana Judge Halts Gay ‘Wedding’ Procession – And Pays for It

It used to be that people were punished for ignoring the law – now they’re shamed for upholding it! Judge Martin Feldman understands that all too well, having shown the courage to do what more than 20 courts did not: uphold the people’s freedom to promote marriage as it has always been – the union of a man and a woman. In the 24 hours since his decision to side with the democratic process, the Louisiana judge has been the target of vicious rhetoric from the gatekeepers of “tolerance,” including the not-so-objective press.

Huffington Post, one of the more openly liberal outlets, posted a profanity-laced headline, using outrageous language to describe the first non-activist ruling on marriage since the Supreme Court’s Windsor. It always amazes me how the champions of choice only want people to have a choice if they can determine what the choice is. Angry that Feldman would even consider the 14th Amendment, children’s wellbeing, religious liberty, and judicial overreach in his making his decision, reporters lashed out at the court for siding with the democratic process.

Ironically, the Reagan appointee made it clear that he agreed with the Supreme Court in striking down the federal marriage law but insisted that state diversity and sovereignty trumped whatever manufactured “rights” the Left insists the Constitution protects.

“Admittedly, other federal courts throughout the country have spoken as if they were deciding the issue by discovering, at best, unclear case models on the more demanding standard of review. Or, in the name of rational basis, they have at times applied the more exacting review standards. This court would be more circumspect,” Feldman wrote. “In light of still-binding precedent, this Court declines to fashion a new suspect class. To do so would distort precedent and demean the democratic process.” Unlike his peers, he takes the federalist perspective on marriage – and agrees that protecting the people’s vote is more important than forcing a radical social agenda on the nation.

My friend and former colleague, who is now GOP House Whip, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined us on the “Washington Watch” radio show to applaud the judge’s sound reasoning. “As you know, I was the lead author of the bill that put a constitutional amendment on the (Louisiana) ballot back in 2004 to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman. It overwhelmingly passed by the voters of Louisiana – 78% of our voters felt strongly about putting that definition in our constitution. And today, we had another attack on it that was upheld by Judge Feldman… So this was an important win for marriage today.” For more on the ruling, check out FRC’s Leanna Baumer on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

(Ex)change We Can Believe In?

Open enrollment for ObamaCare is right around the corner. With a November 15th start date, Americans deserve to know whether the plans they’re considering on the insurance exchanges cover elective abortion and if so, how much they’re paying for the abortion coverage, and how the abortion surcharge will be billed.

FRC wrote about this debacle in the past with regard to the exchanges and plans offered in D.C. and Maryland. We discovered that it was very difficult to obtain accurate information. Finding a pro-life plan should not be this daunting. Our investigation has revealed that insurance representatives on exchanges in various states have given information that is inaccurate and inconsistent. For example, in Colorado, representatives from ColoradoHealthOp have suggested that some of their plans cover elective abortions, while their online plan resources for those same plans clearly state that they do not cover elective abortion.

In another instance, two different representatives from Humana vouched that none of their plans cover elective abortion, but according to the plan details, they all do. Many states don’t even provide plan information on their websites. Some representatives from Sharp Health Plan in California and Group Health in Washington, have told us that they could not answer questions since we were not members, but how is one to make a decision about becoming a member before knowing the plan details?

Even when plan details are written out, it is not often clear if the plans cover elective abortions. Written plan details such as “interruption of pregnancy,” “pregnancy termination included,” or “abortion services” do not specify if that’s in reference to elective abortions. Such was the case with various companies in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

When asked specifically the ObamaCare secrecy clause, which requires a person who signs up for a plan that covers elective abortions to pay at least $12 per year, representatives either had no idea about it, told us about deductible costs, or one even referred us to Planned Parenthood to see how much they charge for an abortion. Finding accurate information has proven to be nearly impossible. Congress must pass Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-N.J.) Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2013 to ensure that Americans get clear answers about abortion coverage when they purchase healthcare plans on the ObamaCare exchanges.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.