Greetings,

Happy New Year to all our readers. During this New Year let us take the time to reflect on the previous year and look ahead to be better persons and disciples in Christ. Throughout the New Year let us continue to persist and take action on matters that effect human life and religious freedom and find ways to "Open Your Hearts to Life".

If you follow commentary on the court battles over religious liberty here in the United States, you will occasionally read statements that refer to a need for "balance" on matters of conscience protection.  The thinking for some seems to be that people of faith, or even simply people of good will, should be able to compromise on their convictions when those convictions don't conform to the expectations of the broader culture.  For example, the ethics committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has argued that health care professionals should simply refer patients to other providers for services, such as abortions, to which they morally object.  It's as if they are saying, "Sure, you may feel like abortion is evil, but this is a pluralistic society, so you have to give a little. Nobody's asking you to perform abortions, so just keep quiet and let women make their own choices." 

 But conscience is not a bargaining chip in a negotiation.

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