Gay Bar Cries Foul when Printer Declines Business

Just what does liberty mean?

A case in King County is forcing us, once again, to consider this question. According to reports, someone trying to open a gay bar on Capitol Hill in Seattle requested print services from a printer in Kent. According to the owner of the print shop, the material he was asked to print contained content he was uncomfortable with, so he made the decision not to print it.

We don't know what kind of conversations took place in the print shop, but we do know that the following email was ultimately sent to the bar owners. According to the owner of the print shop, it was sent without his approval by a part-time employee.

State Increases Planned Parenthood Funding to Balance Budget

Only weeks ago, Indiana becoming the first state to decide that Planned Parenthood would no longer receive money from tax payers. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

But here in Washington, the state took a very different approach.

With the passage of SB 5912, the state legislature decided to increase funding for Take Charge, a contraceptive program which Planned Parenthood claims pays for the services of 70% of their clients. Since Take Charge was implemented in 2001, Planned Parenthood of Western Washington has seen their revenues increase from $5.5 million to over $27 million a year.

Take Charge was created with the goal of reducing the state's costs for live births. But during that same period, the state's costs for live births have risen 70%, from $198 million to over $340 million a year.

Truth Project Training Coming To Renton and Spokane!

is coming to Renton June 25th and Spokane June 26th!



In a recent study, the Barna Research Group revealed a stunning statistic that continues to reverberate throughout the evangelical world. Only 9 percent of professing Christians have a biblical worldview (See sources below).

Host a Legislative Review with FPIW

Now that the legislative session has ended, lots of people will be asking themselves, "what happened, anyway?" We know there was a $5 billion deficit. But what about the issues that affect your family and your values?

Did you know that during this session the legislature was working with the abortion industry to shut down pregnancy resource centers? Did you know that during this legislative session the legislature was very close to allowing children to be bought and sold through surrogacy contracts? Did you know that the legislature removed the words "mother" and "father" from state law and replaced them with the word "parents" in an effort not to offend those who don't believe children benefit from both a mother and a father.

And these efforts are just representative of the culture wide effort to restructure the family.

The state is also on the verge of increasing funding for Planned Parenthood at a time when teachers are losing their jobs and the mentally and physically disabled are losing their assistance.

These are the stories that are often buried under the budget deficit headlines that we want to make sure you know about.

Over the next several weeks, FPIW will be all over Washington State meeting in homes, community centers, and churches to discuss what happened this session on issues related to life, marriage, religious freedom, and parental rights.

If you have a group of 30 or more that would like to hear more about these issues, and also discover what they can do to be part of the solution, we would love to meet with you.

To inquire about hosting a review of the legislative session with a representative of FPIW for your friends or community group, please contact us at info@fpiw.org or call our office at 425-608-0242.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Candy Cane Case Will Impact 41 Million Kids

On Monday, May 23, the Fifth Circuit Court of appeals will hear a casethat will impact every elementary school child in the nation. In the case Morgan et al. v. Plano (Texas) Independent School District, known as the infamous "candy cane" case, judges will determine whether elementary students are too young to have First Amendment freedoms.

This is the biggest religious freedom case in the nation.

Does Planned Parenthood Want Fewer Abortions?

This week the Indiana State Legislature voted to end taxpayer support of Planned Parenthood. Here in Washington, Planned Parenthood was testifying in support of legislation (SB 5912) that would increase their public subsidy despite a $5.5 billion deficit. During the course of their testimony, Planned Parenthood representatives explained that they really want to help reduce the number of abortions by giving people increased access to government funded contraception.

FPIW Testimony in Opposition to a Funding Increase for Planned Parenthood

Summary of Concerns

SB 5912: Increasing eligibility for Take Charge to 250% of federal poverty level.

• Unintended pregnancies are NOT due to lack of access to contraception: There is no evidence that the current pregnancy rates are due to lack of access to contraception. Conversely, there is a great deal of evidence that there is already virtually universal access to contraceptives.

• Increased contraception use linked to higher pregnancy and STD rates: Access to contraception does not necessary reduce pregnancy rates. Recent studies have found that it actually has led to increased pregnancy rates, as well as STD infections, because those on contraceptives are more likely to engage in risky behavior.

• Funding Take Charge does not save money: The Take Charge Program has not managed to reduce state costs for live births in the last 10 years. In fact, under Take Charge, the state's costs for live births have increased more than 70%. Therefore, the assumption that an increase in spending for Take Charge can be calculated as a decrease in the state's budget is erroneous.

• Take Charge forces those who do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood to fund it: Take Charge primarily funds Planned Parenthood, a non-profit that millions of Washingtonians would not choose to support with their charitable giving. It is not appropriate to channel more than $20 million to an organization much of the public is morally or philosophically opposed to when so many uncontroversial expenditures are being cut or eliminated.

Read the full testimony here.